NDIAN 


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Collected  hy 

:REMIAH  CURTIN 


J 


O    C. 


SENECA   INDIAN   MYTHS 


SENECA    INDIAN 
MYTHS 


COLLECTED 
BY 

JEREMIAH   CURTIN 


NEW  YORK 

P.    DUTTON    &   COMPANY 
681  Fifth  Avenue 


E9? 


Copyright,  1923 
By  E.  P.  Dutton  &  Company 


All  Rights  Reserved 


PRINTED    IN   THE   UNITED 
STATES   OF    \MERICA 


NOTE 

The  Indian  myths  here  presented,  in  their  original  form 
as  dictated  to  Mr.  Curtin  by  aged  Indians  of  the  Seneca 
people,  were  collected  by  him  while  acting  as  an  agent  of 
the  Bureau  of  Ethnology  of  the  Smithsonian  Institute,  and 
are  now  published  with  the  permission  and  approval  of  that 
body. 

Mr.  Curtin  considered  the  collection  of  the  ideas  of  prim- 
itive peoples  as  indispensible  to  the  study  of  the  develop- 
ment of  the  human  mind.  From  college  days,  though  living 
abroad  and  occupied  with  affairs  connected  with  his  diplo- 
matic position,  he  spent  his  leisure  time  studying  philology 
and  mythology;  and  when,  many  years  later,  in  1883,  he  was 
offered  a  position  in  the  Bureau  of  Ethnology,  he  was  very 
glad  to  enter  the  field  as  an  active  worker. 

His  teacher  in  the  Seneca  language  was  Sim  Logan,  a 
Seneca  Indian,  who  was  in  Washington  in  government  em- 
ploy and  was  willing  to  add  to  his  earnings  by  acting  as  Mr. 
Curtin 's  tutor.  At  the  end  of  four  months  Mr.  Curtin  had 
acquired  considerable  knowledge  of  Seneca,  which  he  found 
one  of  the  most  interesting  of  Indian  languages.  In  Sep- 
tember of  that  year  Logan  left  for  his  home  near  Versailles, 
N.  Y.,  and  a  few  days  later  Mr.  Curtin  went  to  Versailles 
to  begin  work  in  the  field. 

He  remained  there  till  late  in  December  and  it  was  dur- 
ing this  time  that  he  collected  most  of  the  myths  in  the 
present  volume.  He  appointed  a  time  and  place,  and  when 
the  Indians  assembled  he  told  them  why  he  had  come  to  the 
Reservation;  that  the  Bureau  of  Ethnology  wished  to  pre- 
serve their  traditions  and  myths  and  that  this  could  only 
be  done  by  writing  them  down.  A  young  man  called  Two 
Guns,  immediately  advised  the  people  to  have  nothing  to 
do  with  Mr.  Curtin,  as  he  was  there  to  get  hold  of  their 
Seneca  religion  and  store  it  away  as  a  curiosity.    He  had 


S464L63 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Summer  Conquers  Winter  1 

Skagedi  and  the  Man-eater  8 

Geha  Aids  a  Deserted  Boy  16 

The  Adventures  of  Wolf-marked   22 

okteondon  and   hls   uncle,  the  planter,   or  winter 

Delaying  Spring  35 

A  Battle  Between  Frost  and  Whirlwind 47 

H6tho  Conquers  Shagodyoweg  Gowa 52 

Summer  Kills  Autumn  and  is  Herself  Killed  by  Winter    55 

Geha,  the  Friend  of  a  Deserted  Boy 62 

Whirlwind  and  Panther   66 

A  Bird  in  Search  of  a  Mate 68 

The  Origin  of  Stories    70 

The  Man-eating  Wife,  the  Little  Old  Woman  and  the 

Morning  Star 76 

Two  Young  Men  Who  Went  to  "The  Blue" — Speaker 

and  Definer  82 

The  Trials  and  Death  of  Inchworm  96 

Gaqga'    106 

The  Thunder  Boy  110 

Grandfather  and  Grandson  and  an  Eagle  Woman 116 

The  Great  Spirit  Overpowers  the  Cold  and  Frost  of 

Winter,  Stone  Coats  . .  122 

Man-eater  and  His  Brother,  Whirlwind  124 

ix 


X 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 


Owl  and  His  Jealous  Wife 128 

OKTEONDOn    AND    HlS    UNCLE     134 

Tree  Worm  and  His  Mother-in-law,  Barkworm 147 

Cold  and  Frost,  or  Stone  Coat  Women ! 152 

The  Ganyo  Gowa 156 

Wolf  and  the  Old  Woman's  Grandson 160 

A  Race  between  Bear  and  Turtle  165 

The  Grandmother  and  Grandson  167 

Bald   Eagle    Sends   Mud-turtle  to   the   Edge   of   the 

World  176 

The  Boy  Who  Learned  the  Songs  of  Birds 179 

The  Coming  of  Spring,  or  The  WADYonYonDYES  Girls 185 

The  Creation  of  Men  (Indians)  192 

The  Buffalo  Women 198 

The  Ghost  Woman 204 

wfshakon  and  hls  friend  vlsit  the  plethoak  (thun- 

DERS)     206 

The  Adventures  of  Hanisheonon  2ll 

Stone  Coat,  Cold  and  Frost  216 

Rain  Old  Man  and  the  Horned  Snake  (Lightning) 2T8 

Whirlwind  and  Her  Husband  220 

The  Bird  Medicine 226 

Hagowane  and  His  Ten  Sons  229 

Coon  Deceives  Crawfish 243 

The  Deserted  Boy 247 

Dagwanoeqyent  (Whirlwind)  256 

Hotho  (Cold)   257 

Flying-squirrel  and  the  Seasons 258 


CONTENTS  xi 

PAGB 

The  Adventures  of  Yellowbird  272 

The  Young  Woman  and  Thunder  288 

Partridge  and  Turtle  and  Their  Cousins  Wolves 293 

Thousand-legs  and  Bright  Body,  His  Son 298 

A  Young  Man  Rescued  by  a  Toad 303 

A  Man  Pursued  by  His  Uncle  and  by  His  Wife 307 

A  Lazy  Man  320 

Swan's  Daughters  Marry  Earthquake's  Son 324 

HODADEIOn   AND    HlS    SlSTER    327 

A  Little  Boy  and  His  Dog,  Beautiful  Ears 351 

Quail  Kills  Cold  Weather  and  the  Thunder  Family.  . .  360 

Gaqga'  and  Skagedi  366 

The  Man-eater  and  His  Younger  Brother 369 

The  Rabbit  Brothers 374 

Mink  and  His  Uncle 381 

The  Fox  and  Rabbit 392 

A  Warrior  Cared  for  by  Wolves 394 

Dogs  Save  Their  Master 399 

The  Deserted  Village  402 

War  between  Senecas  and  Cherokees 406 

Turtle  on  the  War-path 410 

The  Great  Snake  Battle 414 

The  Hunter  Who  Became  a  Fish 416 

Two  Seneca  Women  Escape  from  Cherokee  Captivity..  419 

A  Dead  Man  Speaks  Through  Fire  422 

The  Feast  of  the  Whirlwinds 427 

Thunder  Destroys  Horned  Snake 430 

The  Friendship  of  an  Otter 434 


xii  CONTENTS 

PAGE 

if    How  Chipmunks  Got  Their  Stripes 437 

Child  Fed  and  Cared  for  by  a  Porcupine  and  a  Bear.  . .  438 

A  Brother  and  Sister  Pursued  by  a  Man-eater 443 

A  Raccoon  Story 449 

The  Moose  Woman 452 

The  Adventures  of  Ganyage  Gowa 457 

Turkey's  Brother  Goes  in  Search  of  a  Wife 474 

The  Twelve  Brothers  and  Their  Uncle,  Dagwanoedyent  482 

Uncle  and  Nephew 487 

A  Man  Chased  by  the  Ancient  of  Lizards 494 

The  Great  Bear  and  the  Six  Hunters,  or  The  Seven 

Stars  of  the  Dipper 503 

The  Chipmunk  and  the  Bear 505 

The  Wren .506 

The  Twelve  Stars 507 

The  Woman  and  Dog  in  the  Moon 508 

A  Man  Conquers  Stone  Coat  (Ice  and  Cold) 509 

GLOSSARY 513 


SENECA  INDIAN  MYTHS 


SUMMER  CONQUERS  WINTER' 


Characters 


Nyagwaihe  gowa The  Ancient  of  Bears 

Genodskwa Stone  Coat  (Ice  and  Great  Cold) 


THERE  was  a  village  where  it  was  the  habit  of  the 
people  to  fight  a  great  deal ;  they  were  warlike.  A  boy- 
came  to  that  village.  He  was  perhaps  four  years  old.  No 
one  knew  where  he  came  from.  He  wandered  around  stay- 
ing here  and  there ;  first  one  family  kept  him  a  while,  then 
another.  The  people  didn  't  care  for  the  child  or  pay  much 
attention  to  him. 

One  spring,  when  the  boy  was  almost  a  young  man,  there 
was  a  good  deal  of  talk  about  getting  up  a  party  to  go  on 
the  warpath.  Twenty  men  volunteered.  The  boy  wanted  to 
go;  he  asked  one  man  and  another,  but  all  refused.  Then 
he  said,  "I  will  go  anyhow." 

The  twenty  started  and  the  boy  went  with  them.  When 
night  came,  fires  were  built  and  two  men  camped  at  each 
fire.    The  boy  built  his  own  fire  and  sat  by  it  alone. 

Several  days  passed.  One  night  the  boy  had  a  dream: 
A  man  appeared  to  him,  and  said,  "If  you  keep  on  in  the 
direction  you  are  going  you  will  all  perish  to-morrow  at 
midday.  Tell  the  head  man  of  the  party  and  ask  him  to 
change  his  course." 

They  were  going  south. 

When  the  boy  told  his  dream  to  the  leader  of  the  party, 
he  was  angry  and  said  to  his  men,  "I  didn't  want  this  fel- 
low to  come;  he  is  a  hindrance  and  a  coward.  We  have 
come  to  meet  an  enemy;  why  should  we  turn  back  even  if 
we  knew  there  was  one  on  our  road  ? ' ' 

After  eating  they  went  on,  paying  no  heed  to  the  dream. 

1 


2  SENECA   MYTHS 

When  the  sun  was  near  the  middle  of  the  sky,  the  boy, 
who  was  in  the  rear — the  party  was  going  Indian  file — 
noticed  that  the  leader  stopped,  then  the  next  man  stopped 
and  the  next.  When  he  came  up  he  found  they  were  look- 
ing at  a  track. 

"It  is  Nyagwaihe,"  said  the  leader.  "The  bear  that  kills 
everyone  it  meets.  It  knows  when  a  person  looks  at  its 
track  and  no  matter  how  far  away  it  is,  it  comes  back  and 
destroys  that  person.' ' 

The  boy  listened,  then  said,  "I  would  like  to  see  this 
bear.,,  The  men  said,  "No,  you  wouldn't;  nobody  wants 
to  see  such  a  terrible  creature. ' '    But  the  boy  insisted. 

Then  the  leader  said,  "If  you  want  to  see  the  bear  you 
mustn  't  follow  us.  We  will  turn  off  here  and  you  can  keep 
on,  but  if  you  meet  it  and  run,  don't  run  in  the  direction 
we  take." 

They  urged  him  to  go  with  them,  but  he  wouldn't. 

The  boy  hung  his  bundle  in  the  crotch  of  a  tree,  then 
went  on,  and  soon,  not  far  ahead,  he  saw  something  of  enor- 
mous size.  When  nearer,  he  found  it  was  a  great  bear  and 
that  it  sat  up  on  the  trail  with  its  back  toward  him.  He 
crept  close  and  looked  at  the  creature.  It  had  no  hair  on 
its  body  except  a  little  at  the  end  of  its  tail.  He  sent  an 
arrow.  The  bear  sprang  forward,  then  turned  and  ran 
after  him.    It  got  so  near  that  he  could  feel  its  breath. 

The  boy  dodged  from  tree  to  tree,  then  darted  off  and 
ran  swiftly,  the  bear  close  behind.  He  came  to  a  stream 
that  was  deep  but  narrow.  He  jumped  across  it ;  the  bear 
followed  him. 

The  boy  sprang  back  and  the  bear  sprang  back.  The  boy 
jumped  across  the  stream  a  number  of  times;  the  bear 
always  just  behind  him. 

The  boy  felt  his  strength  increasing;  the  bear's  strength 
was  failing.  To  tire  the  bear  the  boy  made  a  great  circle 
before  he  sprang.  At  last  the  bear  fell  behind;  as  it  sprang 
across,  the  boy  passed  it  coming  back.  Soon  the  bear  had 
to  scramble  to  get  a  footing  on  the  bank.  The  boy  shot  and 
the  arrow  entered  the  middle  of  one  of  the  bear's  forefeet. 
The  bear  scrambled  on  to  the  bank,  reeled  from  tree  to  tree, 
staggered,  fell,  rose  again,  struggled  for  a  time,  then  rolled 
over  and  died. 


SUMMER    CONQUERS   WINTER  3 

The  boy  took  three  hairs  from  the  bear's  whiskers  and 
one  tooth  from  its  jaw ;  went  back  to  where  he  had  left  his 
bundle ;  took  it ;  followed  the  trail  of  the  twenty  men ;  ran 
fast;  overtook  them,  and  said,  "I  have  killed  the  Nyag- 
waihe  you  were  so  afraid  of. ' ' 

They  were  astonished,  for  no  man  had  ever  killed  a 
Nyagwaihe.  They  said,  '  *  If  he  has  done  this  he  must  have 
great  power.    Let  us  go  and  see." 

They  traveled  till  sundown;  came  to  where  the  bear  lay 
and  saw  it  was  of  immense  size.  They  said,  "We'll  build 
a  fire  and  burn  the  body,  then  each  man  can  take  some  of 
the  ashes  and  a  bone  for  medicine  to  give  him  power.  "^ 

Towards  morning,  when  the  fire  had  burned  down,  they 
stirred  the  ashes  till  each  man  found  a  bone. 

The  leader  said,  "You  must  be  careful  about  taking  up 
the  remnants  of  this  bear.  Let  each  man,  before  he  takes 
up  his  bone,  say  what  gift  he  wants,  what  power. ' ' 

Most  of  the  men  wished  to  be  good  hunters  and  brave 
warriors;  some  wished  to  be  fast  runners.  The  tooth  and 
whiskers  were  good  for  every  purpose;  the  boy  didn't  tell 
the  men  that  he  had  taken  anything.  They  had  changed 
their  ideas  of  him ;  they  now  looked  on  him  as  having  great 
power. 

The  party  traveled  many  days,  camping  at  night.  One 
night  the  young  man  had  a  dream  and  the  dream  said, ' '  To- 
morrow you  will  meet  an  enemy  of  greater  number  than 
your  own  party.  Among  them  is  a  large  man  of  immense 
power.  He  is  so  much  larger  than  the  rest  of  the  men 
that  you  will  easily  know  him.  You  must  all  fight  him. 
When  you  meet  the  enemy,  let  every  man  hang  up  his 
bundle  and  begin  to  fight." 

The  young  man  didn't  tell  his  dream.  After  eating, 
the  party  started  on.  When  the  sun  was  well  up,  they 
saw  a  bear  on  the  trail  ahead.  It  got  up,  stretched  itself, 
and  looked  at  them. 

When  they  came  nearer  the  bear  said,  "We  have  met 
and  we  shall  get  what  we  want."" 

Then  he  turned  and  disappeared.  The  bear  was  one  of 
the  enemy's  men,  sent  to  challenge  the  opponent. 

The  leader  said  to  his  men,  "Our  enemy  is  near.  Be 
of  good  courage;  we  will  conquer." 


4  SENECA  MYTHS 

They  went  on  and  before  long  saw  the  enemy.  The 
enemy  saw  them;  they  gave  a  war-whoop  and  arrows  be- 
gan to  fly. 

The  young  man  said,  "Let  every  man  hang  his  bundle 
on  a  tree." 

They  hung  up  their  bundles  and  began  to  fight. 

The  young  man  remembered  his  dream  and  looked  for 
the  large  warrior.  When  he  saw  him,  he  saw  that  he  had 
a  medicine  that  he  held  in  front  of  his  face  to  ward  off 
arrows.  This  defense  was  larger  than  the  one  the  young 
man  had — the  smaller  it  was  the  more  power  it  possessed 
— and  the  young  man  felt  sure  of  success — Stone  Coats 
(Ice  and  Cold)  were  born  with  this  power,  a  tiny  hand 
to  be  kept  on  the  palm  of  the  hand — the  young  man  was  a 
Stone  Coat. 

The  large  man  said,  "You  will  get  what  you  deserve, 
you  Stone  Coat,  I  will  kill  you." 

He  and  the  young  man  watched  out,  each  eager  to  kill 
the  other;  they  paid  no  attention  to  the  rest  of  the  war- 
riors. They  fought  with  clubs.  At  last  the  young  man 
snatched  his  opponent's  club,  hurled  it  away  and  threw 
him  down. 

When  the  enemy  saw  their  leader  overpowered,  they 
ran.  The  big  warrior  and  many  of  his  party  were  killed. 
The  Northern  men  piled  up  the  dead  and  burned  them. 
They  had  secured  a  long  string  of  scalps. 

When  the  party  went  back  to  the  village  and  told  what 
had  happened,  the  young  man  was  made  chief.  They 
thought  him  a  Stone  Coat  though  he  didn't  look  like 
one. 

Another  expedition  was  arranged,  many  volunteered, 
but  only  thirty  were  chosen.  They  went  South  as  before. 
The  third  night  the  young  chief  dreamed  that  a  man  came 
to  him,  and  said,  "To-morrow  night  when  you  camp,  an 
enemy  will  camp  nearby  and  you  will  discover  each  other. 
[It  was  not  the  custom  of  Indians  to  attack  in  the  night, 
they  waited  till  daylight.]  Be  sure  that  you  make  the 
attack. ' ' 

The  next  morning  when  the  chief  told  his  dream,  the 
men  believed  him.  That  night  they  discovered  the  enemy 
not  far  away.     Toward  daylight,  the  chief  told  his  men 


SUMMER    CONQUERS   WINTER  5 

to  be  ready.  Just  as  light  came,  they  started.  As  they 
stole  near,  they  saw  that  the  enemy  was  preparing  for  an 
attack. 

The  chief  said  to  his  warriors,  "We  will  circle  around 
the  camp.  When  around,  I  will  raise  a  war-whoop,  then 
let  every  man  whoop,  and  attack." 

The  chief  saw  that  one  of  the  enemy's  warriors  was  a 
much  larger  man  than  the  others,  and  that  he  had  a  medi- 
cine shield  to  ward  off  arrows  and  it  was  about  the  size  of 
his  own.  Then  he  said  to  his  men,  "You  must  fight  des- 
perately.   I  don't  know  how  this  will  end." 

The  big  warrior  shouted,  "You  are  among  these  men, 
are  you,  Stone  Coat?     I  am  going  to  kill  you." 

The  chief  didn't  hold  up  his  medicine  shield. 

When  the  two  met,  they  used  their  clubs  first,  then 
they  grappled.  The  chief,  getting  a  good  hold  of  the  big 
man,  pulled  out  his  arm  and  threw  it  off;  right  away  it 
was  back.  Then  the  big  man  pulled  off  the  chief's  arm 
and  hurled  it  away;  in  an  instant  it  was  back  and  was  as 
before. 

While  the  two  fought,  the  shouting  and  noise  began  to 
die  away.  Once  in  a  while  there  was  a  shout,  but  it  could 
be  known  that  many  people  were  being  killed. 

The  chief  pulled  off  the  man's  head,  tore  off  the  flesh 
and  kicked  away  the  pieces  as  they  came  back;  for  if  the 
pieces  were  kept  away  till  cold  their  strength  died  and 
they  couldn't  come  back.  He  kept  the  pieces  away  till 
the  big  man  died. 

When  the  fight  was  over  and  their  enemy  conquered, 
the  chief  found  that  fifteen  of  his  men  had  been  killed. 
Those  left  went  back  to  their  village  and  for  a  long  time 
there  was  no  more  fighting. 

When  the  chief  had  passed  the  prime  of  life,  he  said, 
"I  am  getting  old,  I  want  to  go  on  one  more  expedition, 
then  I  will  be  satisfied." 

Forty  men  volunteered.  They  went  toward  the  South, 
for  the  people  they  were  to  fight  with  came  from  the 
South.  One  night  the  chief  dreamed  that  a  man  appeared, 
and  said,  "I  have  come  to  tell  you  that  a  very  powerful 
man  will  be  with  the  enemy.  Maybe  you  will  not  be  able 
to  conquer  him.     To-morrow,  just  before  midday,  an  owl 


6  SENECA   MYTHS 

will  light  on  your  trail,  and  say,  'Be  ready,  the  enemy  is 
near.'  " 

In  the  morning  the  chief  told  his  dream.  At  midday 
they  heard  an  owl  hoot.  It  flew  along  the  trail,  lighted  on 
a  tree,  and  said,  "The  enemy  is  near." 

The  chief  said  to  his  men,  "Be  ready!  Hang  your 
bundles  on  a  tree.  If  the  big  man  throws  me  twice  you 
had  better  run." 

While  they  were  hanging  up  their  bundles,  they  heard 
the  enemy's  war-whoop.  When  they  were  near,  the  men 
of  the  South  called  out:  "We  have  come  to  destroy  you. 
You  have  destroyed  our  other  expeditions,  now  we  will 
destroy  you." 

The  chief  and  the  strong  man  met  and  fought  with 
clubs.  Then  they  threw  down  their  clubs  and  clinched. 
They  struggled  for  a  time,  then  the  chief  was  thrown,  but 
he  sprang  up  and  threw  the  strong  man,  who  had  barely 
touched  the  ground  .when  he  was  up  again. 

The  second  time  the  chief  was  thrown,  his  men  ran  off 
some  distance,  then  turned  and  looked  back.  The  chief 
was  up  again,  they  saw  his  arm  pulled  off;  it  was  on 
again,  then  his  head  was  hurled  away.  Some  of  the  men 
ran  toward  home,  but  five  hid  and  remained. 

The  enemy  began  to  gather  up  the  dead;  they  thought 
all  of  the  chief's  men  had  run  away.  The  chief  was  dead. 
The  men  in  hiding  saw  the  enemy  gather  up  his  limbs 
and  flesh.  Then  they  heard  the  strong  man  say,  "We  will 
hold  a  council  and  give  thanks  for  conquering  this  man 
who  has  killed  so  many  of  our  people." 

They  formed  a  ring  and  placed  in  the  center  the  pieces 
of  the  chief's  body. 

They  were  to  give  thanks  by  singing  a  war-song.  A 
man  sang  and  as  he  sang  he  went  towards  the  chief's  feet. 
When  the  song  ended  the  singer  went  to  the  chief's  head, 
and  said,  "You  have  been  conquered,  now  we  will  have 
peace,"  and  he  struck  the  head  with  his  club,  saying,  "I 
will  punish  you." 

That  instant  the  pieces  flew  together,  became  the  chief 
again.  He  sprang  up,  killed  five  men,  then  lay  down  and 
fell  apart. 

The  Southern  people  said,  "Our  singer  did  wrong  to 


SUMMER    CONQUERS   WINTER  7 

abuse  a  warrior  after  he  was  dead;  this  is  why  we  have 
lost  five  men.  We  had  better  kill  him  before  he  brings  us 
more  bad  luck." 

They  cut  off  the  singer's  head,  then  sang  the  war-song 
over,  but  no  one  raised  a  club  or  other  weapon. 

Of  the  chief's  men  ten  out  of  the  forty  reached  home. 
They  said,  "The  friend  whom  we  depended  upon  is  dead, 
we  must  stay  at  home  hereafter." 

The  tribe  lived  in  peace  after  that. 

This  was  a  battle  between  Winter  and  Summer  Sum- 
mer conquered. 


SKAGEDI  AND  THE  MAN-EATER 

[Told  by  Andrew  Fox] 


Characters 


Skagedi  (Half  of  anything) The  Half  Man 

Ongweias Man-eater 


SKAGEDI  lived  on  a  hill  and  a  man-eater  lived  at  the 
foot  of  the  same  hill.  The  man-eater  had  a  little  kettle 
and  a  piece  of  chestnut.  One  day  he  scraped  some  of  the 
chestnut  into  the  kettle  and  taking  a  stick  whipped  the 
kettle  till  it  was  of  the  size  he  wanted  and  was  full  of 
chestnut  pudding.  Then  he  called  for  someone  to  come 
and  eat  with  him. 

He  began  to  sing  and  dance ;  when  he  reached  the  end  of 
the  house,  he  struck  his  mallet  against  a  post,  and  sang, ' l  If 
a  man-eater  comes,  I  will  kill  him. ' ' 

Skagedi  heard  the  song  and  the  call,  and  he  thought,  ' '  I 
am  hungry,  maybe  I  had  better  go  down  to  that  man's 
house  and  get  something  to  eat.  He  will  not  kill  me,  for  I 
am  not  a  man-eater.  If  he  calls  again,  I  will  go."  He 
stood  waiting  uncertain  what  to  do. 

Soon  the  man-eater  sang,  "I  wish  Skagedi  would  come 
and  help  me  eat  this  pudding.' ' 

"Now  is  my  time,"  thought  Skagedi,  "I  will  go." 

He  sang  "He-gah-ya"  ar-d  jumped.  Again  he  sang, 
"He-gah-ya"  and  jumped;  this  was  the  way  he  traveled, 
he  jumped  by  singing.  At  the  first  jump  he  went  over  the 
hill,  then  he  said  to  himself,  "This  is  too  risksome;  that 
man  is  dangerous."    Again  he  heard  the  song,  "if  a  man- 

8 


SKAGEDI  AND  THE  MAN-EATER         9 

eater  comes,  I  will  kill  him,"  and  he  said,  "I  think  I  had 
better  go  home,  he  may  kill  me." 

Skagedi  turned  around,  and  singing,  "He-gah-ya" 
jumped,  but  he  didn't  go  where  he  wanted  to.  He  came 
down  near  the  man-eater's  house.  Hearing  the  man-eater's 
song  he  was  frightened  and  singing  in  a  whisper, ' '  He-gah- 
ya,"  he  jumped,  but  again  he  didn't  go  where  he  intended; 
he  came  down  in  front  of  the  man-eater's  house — the  man- 
eater's  song  was  drawing  him  there.  He  heard  the  mallet 
strike  the  wall,  and  singing,  "He-gah-ya"  to  get  away  he 
jumped  and  came  down  at  the  door.  The  man-eater  opened 
the  door  and  said,  '  *  Come  in ! " 

Skagedi  was  terribly  frightened;  singing  "He-gah-ya" 
in  a  low  whisper  he  jumped  to  get  away,  but  he  went 
straight  into  the  house. 

"lam  not  going  to  kill  you,"  said  the  man-eater,  "I 
want  you  to  eat  some  of  my  pudding." 

Skagedi  ate  a  good  while,  then  stopped. 

"You  must  eat  all  of  the  pudding  I  have  given  you," 
said  the  man-eater.    "That  is  my  rule." 

Skagedi  ate  more  of  the  pudding  and  then  wanted  to 
stop,  but  the  man-eater  said,  ' '  Hurry,  I  must  go  away,  eat 
quickly. '  ' 

Skagedi  finished  the  pudding. 

"The  next  time  I  invite  you,"  said  the  man-eater,  "if 
you  start  you  must  come,  not  start  and  try  to  turn  back." 

Skagedi  was  so  full  of  pudding  that  it  was  night  before 
he  got  home ;  he  could  jump  only  a  few  feet  at  a  time. 

The  man-eater  had  always  gone  South  to  hunt  for  game, 
but  now  he  went  North.  After  a  while  he  came  to  an 
opening  in  the  forest,  and,  in  the  middle  of  the  opening, 
he  saw  a  house. 

"I  have  never  seen  that  house,"  thought  he.  "I  will  go 
and  find  out  who  lives  there." 

In  the  house  was  a  very  old  man.  "Hello!"  said  the 
man-eater,  "I  have  come  to  visit  you." 

*  *  I  have  never  seen  you  before, ' '  said  the  old  man. 

"No.    What  are  you  doing  here?" 

"I  have  lived  here  always,  I  am  a  betting  man." 

"What  game  do  you  play?" 

"I  play  hide-and-seek,  and  bet  heads." 


10  SENECA   MYTHS 

* '  Oh,  that  is  the  way  you  bet !  I  am  alone  in  the  world, 
but  I  don't  want  to  have  my  head  cut  off.  Can  I  come  to 
life  afterwards?" 

"No,  you  will  stay  dead." 

"Well,  I  will  go  and  talk  with  my  uncle  about  this.  I 
will  come  back." 

By  his  "uncle"  the  man-eater  meant  Skagedi.  He  went 
home,  made  a  pudding,  struck  the  kettle  twice  and  had 
enough  for  two,  then  he  went  to  the  post  of  the  house,  beat 
time  on  it  with  the  mallet,  and  sang,  "I  want  my  uncle  to 
come  and  help  me  eat  this  pudding." 

Skagedi  heard  the  song  and  said  to  himself,  "I  am  hun- 
gry, I  will  go."  He  sang  "He-gah-ya,"  took  a  short  jump 
and  was  outside  of  the  door.  Turning  in  the  direction  of 
the  man-eater's  house  he  sang,  "  He-gab- y  a,"  jumped  and 
was  down  the  hill.  Then  he  listened  and  wondered  if  the 
man-eater  really  called  him.  Again  he  heard  the  song,  then 
he  said,  "Oh,  he  means  me!"  He  sang  "He-gah-ya," 
jumped  and  was  near  the  man-eater's  house.  Then  he  heard 
the  blows  of  the  mallet  and  was  so  frightened  that  he  sang 
"He-gah-ya"  in  a  whisper  and  jumped  to  get  away,  but  he 
didn  't  go  as  he  wanted  to ;  he  came  down  at  the  door  of  the 
man-eater's  house. 

1 '  Come  in, ' '  said  the  man-eater.  ' '  Yesterday  I  went  to- 
ward the  North.  I  had  never  been  in  that  direction  before, 
but  I  have  killed  everybody  in  the  South  so  I  thought  I 
would  find  out  who  lived  in  the  North.  I  came  to  a  house 
in  an  opening.  In  the  house  was  a  very  old  man,  who  said 
that  he  lived  by  betting.  The  man  who  loses  the  game 
loses  his  head  also.  He  asked  me  to  play.  I  told  him  I 
didn't  know  the  game,  but  I  would  ask  you  if  you  knew 
anything  about  it." 

"I  know  the  game,"  said  Skagedi.  "My  father  was  a 
great  player,  but  at  last  he  lost  his  head." 

1  *  If  you  will  help  me, ' '  said  the  man-eater.  * '  I  will  help 
you.  When  you  are  hungry  you  can  always  come  here  and 
get  something  to  eat;  I  will  never  harm  you." 

"I  will  tell  you  what  to  do,"  said  Skagedi.  "The  old 
man  will  hide  first  and  you  will  have  three  chances  to  find 
him.  Begin  inside  the  house,  but  for  your  last  chance  say, 
'I  have  found  you,  you  are  up  behind  the  sun.'    Then  it 


SKAGEDI  AND  THE  MAN-EATER        11 

will  be  your  turn  to  hide.  Go  under  the  back  of  the  old 
man's  breech-clout.  If  he  finds  you  it  will  be  a  tie.  Then 
he  will  go  in  at  one  end  of  the  log  on  the  fire  and  out  at 
one  end  of  the  house,  I  don't  know  which  end.  That  is 
your  chance. ' ' 

SkagSdi  ate  his  pudding  and  went  home. 

The  next  morning  the  man-eater  hit  the  post  and  sang, 
"Now  I  must  be  strong  and  kill  the  old  man  who  bets 
heads. ' ' 

He  went  to  the  house  in  the  opening  and  called  out, 
"Hello,  my  friend!" 

The  old  man  looked  up,  and  said,  "Oh,  you  have  come 
again.    Will  you  play  a  game  with  me?" 

"I  will  play." 

1  *  What  do  you  do  at  home  ? ' ' 

"I  hunt." 

"Do  you  find  enough  game?" 

"Yes,  I  go  in  every  direction  and  kill  everybody  I  find." 

"You  kill  animals?" 

"I  do  not,  I  kill  men  and  witches." 

"That  is  my  way  of  living,"  said  the  old  man.  "Now 
we  will  have  a  little  sport.  We  will  play  hide-and-seek. 
If  you  find  me  and  I  find  you  it  will  be  a  tie,  then  we  will 
have  a  foot-race,  or  we  will  pitch  quoits  to  decide  the  game. 
I  will  hide  first.  Stand  here  and  cover  your  head  with  a 
blanket,  when  I  say  Onen!  throw  off  the  blanket  and  hunt 
for  me." 

The  man-eater  waited  a  while,  when  he  heard,  far  away, 
"One11;"  he  took  off  the  blanket  and  found  himself  alone. 
He  hit  the  fire  with  a  mallet,  and  said,  "You  are  under 
the  fire" — No  answer.  He  waited,  then  called  out,  "You 
are  up  behind  the  sun." 

The  old  man  came  down,  and  said,  "Now  it  is  your  turn 
to  hide, ' '  and  he  threw  the  blanket  over  his  own  head. 

The  man-eater  made  himself  small,  crawled  under  the 
old  man's  breech-slout,  then  said,  and  his  voice  seemed  far 
away,  "Onen." 

The  old  man  looked  everywhere.  "You  are  behind  that 
big  star  up  there, ' '  said  he.  No  answer.  He  went  out  and 
around  the  house  and  finding  a  crack  in  the  house  struck 
it,  and  said, ' '  You  are  in  here, ' '    No  answer.    Then  he  went 


12  SENECA   MYTHS 

into  the  house  and  taking  his  pipe,  made  of  a  wild-cat's 
head,  said,  "I  will  smoke.  Maybe  the  smoke  will  tell  me 
where  to  find  that  man." 

He  drew  a  long  whiff,  the  smoke  went  toward  the  corner 
of  the  house  where  the  corn  pounder  was.  The  old  man 
struck  the  pounder  and  called  out,  "You  are  in  the 
pounder."     His  three  chances  were  gone. 

The  man  came  from  the  back  of  the  breech-clout.  The 
old  man  felt  him  move,  and  clapping  his  hand  to  his 
thigh  said,  "You  were  here!" 

"I  was." 

"That  was  sport.  Let's  play  again,"  said  the  old 
man. 

"I  have  played  long  enough,"  said  the  man-eater,  and, 
catching  the  old  man  by  the  hair  he  cut  off  his  head. 
Then  he  thought  he  would  look  around  and  see  what  the 
man   had   been   doing. 

At  the  edge  of  the  woods  he  found  a  great  many 
bones.  He  stacked  the  bones  up,  then  going  to  a  tree  gave 
it  a  push  and  called  out,  "Get  up  or  the  tree  will  fall  on 
you!"  Men  sprang  up  and  ran  for  their  lives.  All  the 
people  in  the  world  heard  the  tree  fall  and  knew  that 
some  one  had  killed  the  old  man. 

The  man-eater  burned  up  the  old  man's  house  and  his 
body,  then  he  carried  the  head  home  and  put  it  up  at  the 
end  of  his  house. 

The  next  morning  he  thought,  "Now  I  will  make  a 
pudding  for  my  uncle." 

He  scraped  a  little  chestnut  into  a  kettle,  struck  the 
kettle  with  a  switch  and  straightway  the  kettle  was  large 
and  was  full  of  pudding.  Then  he  struck  the  post  with 
his  mallet  and  sang  for  Skagedi  to  come. 

Skagedi  heard  the  song,  and  said,  "My  nephew  has 
killed  the  betting  man."  He  sang  "He-gah-ya"  and 
with  two  jumps  was  at  the  house. 

"What  luck  did  you  have?"  asked  he. 

The  man-eater  showed  the  head,  and  said,  "This  is 
my  luck!" 

"Well,  nephew,"  said  Skagedi,  "that  would  have  been 
your  head  if  I  hadn't  helped  you." 

"I  know  it,  and  I  will  always  help  you  and  give  you 


SKAGEDI  AND  THE  MAN-EA1ER        13 

a  plenty  to  eat.  Will  I  have  more  trouble  if  I  go  farther 
North?     Have  you  been  in  the  North ?" 

"I  have  been  all  over  the  world;  two  long  jumps  will 
take  me  anywhere.    If  you  have  trouble  I  will  help  you." 

Skagedi  went  home  and  the  next  morning  the  man-eater 
went  North  again.  He  passed  the  house  he  had  burned 
and  went  on  till  he  came  to  an  opening  and  saw  a  woman 
standing  on  a  log  that  was  lying  on  the  ground.  The 
woman  had  great  eyes  and  was  looking  around  in  every 
direction ;  if  she  saw  anything,  even  a  bird  or  a  mouse,  she 
called  out,  "I  have  caught  you,  I  think  you  are  a  man!" 
When  the  man-eater  saw  her,  he  dodged  behind  a  tree. 
If  the  bird  or  animal  she  called  to  were  a  man,  her  words 
made  him  take  his  own  form,  then  she  squeezed  his  heart 
and  killed  him. 

The  man-eater  had  never  seen  such  a  woman.  He 
thought,  "That  is  a  dangerous  woman,  I  will  go  home," 
and  he  crept  away.  The  next  morning  he  sang  and 
danced  and  his  steps  shook  the  world  and  frightened 
everybody. 

Skagedi  said,  "My  nephew  has  come!" 

The  man-eater  cooked  a  bit  of  the  chestnut  he  had 
stolen  from  people  in  the  South  and  when  he  had  switched 
the  kettle  and  made  it  large,  he  said,  "Now  I  will  sing 
for  my  uncle.  I  want  to  ask  him  about  the  woman  who 
stands  on  a  log." 

Skagedi  heard  the  song  and,  singing  "He-gah-ya"  he 
made  a  jump  and  was  over  the  trees  and  down  the  hill. 
Then  with  a  whispered  song  and  a  short  jump  he  was  in 
the  man-eater's  house. 

While  he  was  eating,  his  nephew  said,  * '  Off  in  the  North 
there  is  a  woman  who  stands  on  a  log  and  says  to  every 
mouse  or  bird  or  living  creature  she  sees,  'I  have  caught 
you,  I  think  you  are  a  man.'  I  have  never  seen  such  a 
woman,  I  want  to  talk  to  her." 

"I  know  that  woman,"  said  Skagedi.  "She  caught  my 
brother.  If  she  sees  you  first,  she  will  catch  you  and 
squeeze  your  heart.  If  you  are  weak,  she  will  kill  you ;  if 
you  are  very  strong  you  may  come  home,  but  you  will 
be  sick." 

"I  want  to  kill  that  woman,"  said  the  man-eater. 


14  SENECA  MYTHS 

"Well,"  said  Skagedi,  "I  will  help  you  if  you  will 
promise  to  stop  killing  people.  It  is  wrong  to  kill  people 
and  eat  them." 

"I  was  brought  up  on  such  flesh,"  said  the  man-eater. 
"I  couldn't  live  on  game  as  you  do.  I  will  try,  but  I 
don't  want  to  starve." 

"You  must  come  and  eat  of  my  kind  of  food,"  said 
Skagedi.  He  went  home  and  cooked  fat  deer  meat,  then 
he  sang,  "The  man-eater  must  come  and  eat!  the  man- 
eater  must  come  and  eat." 

The  man-eater  heard  the  song  and  started.  When  he 
came  into  the  house  Skagedi  placed  deer  meat  before  him, 
and  said,  "You  must  eat  it  all,  that  is  my  rule." 

He  ate  the  meat  and  went  home.  For  a  time  he  was 
sick,  then  he  felt  better  and  was  hungry.  He  tried  to 
eat  some  of  his  own  kind  of  meat  but  the  first  bite  made 
him  sick.  He  thought  he  would  go  and  ask  Skagedi 
what  he  could  do  to  get  well.  He  was  so  weak  that  he 
was  a  long  time  getting  to  the  house  on  the  hill. 

Skagedi  said,  "Try  my  meat,"  and  he  gave  him  bear 
meat.     He  ate  it  and  felt  stronger. 

"I  will  come  to-morrow  and  eat  more  of  your  kind  of 
meat,"  said  he.  "If  it  doesn't  make  me  sick,  I  will  hunt 
deer  and  bears  hereafter  and  let  men  alone." 

The  next  morning  he  took  a  mouthful  of  his  own  food. 
It  made  him  sick.  "I  will  eat  no  more  of  this  kind  of 
meat,"  said  he,  and  he  went  to  Skagedi,  and  said,  "Here- 
after I  will  eat  your  kind  of  food.  Now  tell  me  about  the 
woman. ' ' 

Skagedi  said,  "When  you  come  to  the  opening  you 
must  call  a  mole,  go  inside  of  it  and  tell  it  tb  take  you 
to  the  log.  When  the  mole  gets  to  the  log,  jump  out  and 
say  to  the  woman,  'I  have  caught  you!'  " 

The  man-eater  went  home,  took  down  the  heads  stuck 
up  around  the  house  and,  pushing  them  along  with  a 
stick,  for  he  was  afraid  of  getting  sick  if  he  touched 
them,  he  got  them  far  away  from  the  place.  Then  he 
went  off  and  killed  a  deer,  came  home,  cleaned  up  his 
kettle,  cooked  the  deer  meat  and  ate  it  with  relish. 

The  next  day  the  man-eater  went  to  the  opening  and 
found  the  woman  standing  on  the  log  watching  for  a  fly, 


SKAGEDI  AND  THE  MAN-EATER        15 

a  bird,  a  mouse  or  any  living  thing  so  that  she  could 
sing  out,  "I  have  caught  you!    I  think  you  are  a  man." 

He  called  a  mole  and  told  it  to  carry  him  under  the 
ground  and  come  up  near  where  the  woman  stood.  He 
made  himself  small,  went  into  the  mole  and  when  it  was 
right  at  the  log,  he  sprang  out  and  called,  ' '  I  have  caught 
you!"  That  minute  he  took  hold  of  the  woman's  heart 
and  squeezed  it.  She  screamed  and  begged  him  not  to 
kill  her. 

"You  must  go  home,,,  said  the  man,  "and  on  the  way 
you  must  sing,  'We  will  have  a  dance,  we  will  have  a 
dance !'" 

The  woman  started  and  as  she  traveled  she  sang,  "We 
will  have  a  dance."  Her. sisters  heard  the  song  and  said 
to  one  another,  "Our  sister  has  been  beaten,  she  is  sick." 

The  mother  sent  the  youngest  sister  to  tell  an  old 
medicine  man  to  come  and  cure  her  daughter.  He  asked 
what  the  woman's  song  was  and  when  told  he  said,  "You 
must  notify  all  the  people  in  the  world  and  have  a  great 
dance  for  your  sister." 

The  dance  was  called  and  food  made  ready.  The  woman 
came  and  danced,  but  all  at  once  she  fell  to  the  ground 
and  died. 

The  man-eater  saw  a  great  many  bones  around  the  log 
where  the  woman  had  stood.  After  working  a  long  time  he 
got  the  bones  into  a  pile,  then  going  to  a  nearby  tree  he 
called  out,  ' '  Get  up  or  the  tree  will  fall  on  you ! ' ' 

Men  and  women  sprang  up  and  started  to  run,  but  he 
called  them  back  and  sent  them  to  their  homes. 

Skag^di's  father  and  mother  and  his  brother  were  in 
the  crowd,  so  was  the  man-eater's  wife.  When  SkagSdi 
saw  his  relatives  he  was  glad. 

The  man-eater  never  ate  human  flesh  again. 


GEHA  AIDS  A  DESERTED  BOY 
[Told  by  John  Jimison] 


Characters 


Gbha Wind 

Nyagwaihe The  Ancient  of  Bears 


IN  a  cabin  at  the  edge  of  a  village  lived  a  grandmother 
and  her  grandson.  The  grandmother  was  old  and  the 
grandson  was  young  and  they  were  so  poor  that  they  ate 
scraps  given  them  by  their  neighbors. 

Once,  when  a  hunting  party  was  starting  off,  the  little 
boy  followed  it.  The  hunters  traveled  five  days,  then 
camped  and  built  a  bark  hut. 

The  boy  was  too  young  to  hunt ;  he  went  out  with  the 
men  but  never  killed  anything.  They  called  him  Othwen- 
saw£nhde  from  the  part  of  a  deer  they  threw  out  for  him 
to  eat — "the  small  liver  by  the  side  of  the  large  one." 

When  the  hunters  were  ready  to  start  for  home,  they 
agreed  to  leave  the  boy,  not  letting  him  know  that  they  were 
going;  they  wanted  to  travel  fast. 

One  day  when  he  came  back  to  the  hut,  the  boy  found 
only  the  pile  -of  hair  left  from  the  skins  they  had  dressed. 
The  men  had  taken  everything  and  gone.  The  child 
didn't  know  the  way  home. 

That  night  he  slept  on  the  pile  of  hair ;  the  next  morning 
he  found  the  chin  bone  of  a  deer  and  getting  out  the 
marrow  ate  it.  When  it  was  night  again,  he  heard  some- 
body coming;  the  door  opened,  and  a  man  said,  "Well, 
Othw£nsawenhde,  you  think  you  are  going  to  die,  but 

16 


GEHA  AIDS  A  DESERTED  BOY         17 

you  are  not.  Get  your  knife  and  put  it  on  the  stump  out- 
side the  door,  and  in  the  morning  go  and  bring  it  in.  You 
must  hunt,  to-morrow.' '  The  stranger,  who  was  Geha 
(Wind),  went  away. 

The  boy  had  an  old  basswood  knife;  he  carried  it  out 
and  put  it  on  the  stump.  Early  in  the  morning  he  went 
to  the  stump  and  there  he  found  a  new  knife.  He  took  his 
bow  and  arrow  and  knife  and  went  into  the  woods.  He 
saw  a  deer,  ran  after  it,  overtook  it  and  killed  it  with  his 
knife.  Then  he  threw  his  bow  and  arrow  away  and  after- 
ward when  hunting  used  his  knife.  He  killed  large  game 
and  had  plenty  of  meat. 

One  night  he  heard  somebody  coming,  then  a  man 
pushed  open  the  door,  and  said,  calling  him  by  name, 
"lam  here  to  tell  you  that  Nyaqwaihe  is  coming  to  kill 
you.  To-night  put  your  knife  on  the  stump  outside,  get 
it  in  the  morning  and  go  to  the  top  of  the  tall  elm  tree 
at  the  end  of  the  hut;  hide  in  the  branches  and  wait. 
Nyagwaihe  will  climb  the  tree  and  look  over  into  the  hut 
to  see  if  you  are  there.  When  he  is  coming  down  back- 
wards, stick  your  knife  into  a  small  white  spot  in  his 
right  hind  foot;  he  will  fall  to  the  ground,  dead.  Then 
pile  up  wood  around  the  body  and  burn  it." 

Geha  went  out. 

The  boy  put  his  knife  on  the  stump  and  in  the  morning 
the  old  knife  was  gone  and  a  larger  and  longer  knife  was 
in  its  place.  He  picked  up  the  knife  and  climbing  the 
tree  hid  in  the  branches.  Just  at  daybreak  he  heard  a 
terrible  roar,  and  right  away  Nyagwaihe  was  climbing 
the  tree.  When  he  got  to  the  top,  he  looked  into  the 
smoke-hole  of  the  hut,  and  said,  "There  is  a  fire;  the  boy 
must  be  there/'  and  he  started  down  the  tree. 

The  boy  saw  the  white  spot  and  stuck  his  knife  into  it; 
Nyagwaihe  fell  to  the  ground,  dead. 

That  night,  just  as  the  boy  was  going  to  sleep,  he 
heard  somebody  coming.  Geha  opened  the  door,  and  said, 
"I  came  to  tell  you  that  those  hunters  who  left  you  here 
are  starving.  Ten  days  from  now  they  will  come  back 
to  the  hut.  You  must  be  kind  to  them.  Don't  feel  proud 
or  boast  of  your  swiftness.  You  felt  proud,  that  is  why 
Nyagwaihe  came  to  destroy  you. 


18  SENECA   MYTHS 

" Don't  say  that  there  is  no  one  who  can  outrun  you. 
When  they  come  tell  them  to  help  themselves  to  the  meat 
you  have  dried.  When  they  are  ready  to  go  home,  go 
with  them;  tell  every  man  to  take  as  much  meat  as  he 
can  carry.    Put  your  knife  on  the  stump.' ' 

G£ha  went  away.  The  boy  put  his  knife,  which  was 
made  of  basswood,  on  the  stump.  In  the  morning  the 
knife  was  shorter  and  smaller. 

During  the  next  nine  days  the  boy  killed  many  deer. 
The  tenth  day  he  stayed  in  the  hut,  watching  and  listening. 
At  midday  the  hunters  came.  When  they  saw  how  much 
meat  the  boy  had,  they  asked  forgiveness.  He  told  them 
to  eat  as  much  meat  as  they  wanted,  then  take  as  much 
home  as  each  man  could  carry. 

They  took  half  of  the  meat.  The  boy  packed  up  the 
other  half,  shook  it  till  it  was  as  light  a  pack  as  any  one  of 
the  men  was  carrying,  then  started  on  behind  them. 

When  they  got  back  to  the  village,  the  boy  went  to  his 
grandmother's  house  and  threw  down  his  pack.  That 
minute  it  came  to  its  natural  size. 

"Oh,"  cried  his  grandmother,  "I  am  happy  now.  The 
hunters  said  you  were  lost  in  the  woods.  But  you  are 
back  and  have  brought  plenty  of  meat." 

"Go,  grandmother,"  said  the  boy,  "and  ask  all  the 
women  to  come  and  get  as  much  meat  as  they  can  carry 
away." 

The  women  came  and  carried  away  many  loads  of  meat, 
but  the  meat  in  the  house  wasn't  diminished.  There 
seemed  to  be  as  much  as  before  any  was  taken. 

Now  a  chief  in  the  East  challenged  the  chief  of  the 
village  to  run  a  race;  whichever  side  was  beaten  all  the 
men  on  that  side  would  lose  their  lives. 

The  chief  called  the  people  together  to  decide  on  a 
runner.  The  boy  said,  "I  will  run  with  the  man  you 
choose  and  you  can  decide  which  is  the  better  runner." 

The  chief  was  pleased.  He  chose  a  man  and  the  two 
stood  apart.  Other  men  also  volunteered  to  run.  The 
chief  raised  his  hand,  then  dropped  it,  and  the  runners 
started,  that  minute  the  boy  was  out  of  sight,  then  off 
at  the  end  of  the  opening  a  small  dark  object  was  seen. 
The  other  runner  was  only  half  way  across  the  opening 


g£ha  aids  a  DESERTED  BOY        19 

when  the  boy  was  back  at  the  starting  place.  Then  he 
began  to  boast  that  nobody  could  outrun  him;  he  forgot 
Geha's  warning. 

There  was  a  valley  that  went  across  the  world;  that 
valley  was  to  be  the  race  course.  At  the  edge  of  the 
world  was  a  rock  that  stood  up  like  the  trunk  of  a  huge 
tree.  The  rock  was  white  flint  and  it  shone  brightly; 
there  was  no  other  rock  like  it.  The  runner  who  reached 
the  rock  was  to  bring  back  a  chip  of  it. 

The  runner  for  the  challenging  chief  was  tall  and  thin. 
At  midday  the  sign  was  given  and  the  runners  started — 
the  boy  ran  on  the  ground,  his  opponent  ran  in  the  air. 

The  boy  used  his  full  power  and  soon  came  back  with 
a  piece  of  the  stone  in  his  hand.  After  a  long  time  the 
other  runner  came — the  challenging  chief  and  his  men 
lost  their  heads. 

The  boy  was  proud  and  boastful.  That  night,  just  as 
he  was  falling  asleep,  he  heard  somebody  coming.  The 
door  opened  and  a  man  said,  ' '  Come  out,  I .  want  to  talk 
to  you." 

He  went  out. 

"I  challenge  you  to  a  foot  race,"  said  the  man.  "You 
must  wager  the  heads  of  all  the  people  of  the  village, 
except  yourself,  against  my  head.  I  have  no  people.  We 
will  start  at  daylight  and  run  till  the  sun  reaches  the 
middle  of  the  Blue." 

"Very  well,"  said  the  boy. 

The  man  disappeared.  The  boy  told  his  grandmother 
what  had  happened  and  she  started  off  to  notify  the  people 
that  their  heads  had  been  put  up  as  a  wager.  While  she 
was  gone  Geha  came  to  the  boy,  and  said,  "I  warned  you 
not  to  boast  and  told  you  what  would  happen  if  you  did. 
Now  you  must  do  your  best  or  you  will  be  beaten.  You 
must  help  yourself.     I  am  going  home." 

The  people  assembled  and  the  challenger  came.  Just 
as  the  sun  rose,  word  was  given  and  the  runners  started. 
As  the  challenger  ran  he  threw  up  so  much  dirt  that  the 
boy  was  thrown  back,  and  he  fell.  The  people  couldn't 
see  the  runner;  but  off  in  the  distance  was  a  Nyagwaihe. 

As  the  boy  fell,  Geha  was  there,  and  said,  "Get  up 
and  start!    Help  yourself  and  I'll  help  you." 


20  SENECA  MYTHS 

The  boy  ran  to  the  first  knoll,  looked  but  didn't  see  his 
opponent,  reached  the  second  knoll  and  saw  him  on  a 
knoll  far  ahead,  then  saw  him  on  the  fourth  knoll. 

Now  a  Whirlwind  took  the  boy  up  and,  like  a  flash  of 
lightning,  put  him  at  the  runner's  heels.  He  called  out, 
" Hurry,  or  I'll  overtake  you!" 

The  runner  used  all  his  strength  and  soon  was  out  of 
sight. 

Again  a  Whirlwind  picked  up  the  boy  and  put  him  at 
the  heels  of  his  opponent.  He  shot  twice  and  called  out, 
1  '  Do  your  best  or  I  '11  beat  you ! ' ' 

The  runner  couldn't  get  out  of  sight,  he  was  losing 
strength. 

Again  a  Whirlwind  came  and  as  it  picked  the  boy  up  a 
voice  said,  out  of  the  cloud,  "This  is  the  last  time  I'll 
help  you." 

Whirlwind  put  the  boy  down  at  his  opponent's  heels; 
the  runner,  now  in  his  real  form,  the  form  of  a  Nyag- 
waihe,  said,  "You  have  overtaken  me  and  won  the  race." 

Exactly  at  midday  the  boy  cut  off  the  Bear's  head, 
and  taking  it  started  for  home.  When  over  three  hills 
he  was  tired;  he  hung  the  head  on  the  limb  of  a  tree  and 
taking  the  tongue  went  on.  He  went  over  two  other  hills 
and  was  tired;  he  hung  the  tongue  on  the  limb  of  a  tree 
and  went  on  over  other  hills  and  knolls.  When  he  reached 
home  and  told  the  people  that  he  had  killed  his  opponent, 
they  said, 

"We  will  go  and  see  the  body." 

"You'll  find  it  over  the  tenth  hill.  I  tried  to  bring 
back  the  head,  but  seven  hills  from  here  I  was  tired  and 
I  hung  it  on  the  limb  of  a  tree.  I  took  the  tongue,  but 
when  I  came  to  the  fifth  hill  I  was  tired  and  I  hung  the 
tongue  on  the  limb  of  a  tree." 

It  took  a  long  time  for  the  people  to  get  to  the  first 
hill.  When  they  had  traveled  five  Summers  and  five 
Winters,  they  came  to  a  hill.  On  the  top  of  the  hill  was 
a  tree,  and  on  the  tree  was  the  tongue  of  the  Nyagwaihe. 
The  ground  around  the  tree  was  trampled  down;  thou- 
sands of  wild  beasts  had  been  there  and  tried  to  get  the 
tongue,  the  men  looked  at  it  and  went  on. 

When  they  had  traveled  two  more  Summers  and  two 


GfiHA  aids  a  deserted  BOY       21 

more  Winters  they  came  to  the  seventh  hill  and  found  a 
skull,  all  that  was  left  of  the  head.  The  ground  around 
the  tree  was  trampled  down :  thousands  of  wild  beasts  had 
been  there  and  tried  to  get  the  head. 

They  traveled  three  Summers  and  three  Winters,  then 
reached  the  tenth  hill.  For  a  great  distance  around  the 
ground  had  been  made  bare  and  hard  by  the  trampling 
of  wild  beasts. 

The  place  where  Nyagwaihe  fell  had  become  a  deer- 
lick,  not  a  bone  or  a  trace  of  the  body  was  left. 

The  men  were  ten  years  going  home.  The  boy  aided 
by  Geha  had  made  the  journey  between  sunrise  and  mid- 
day. 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  WOLF-MAKKED 
[Told  by  John  Jimison] 


Characters 


Othaioni  hoya'da Wolf -Marked 

Haqgeeah Kagged  or  Shabby  Man 

Otsoon    Turkey 


A  BROTHER  and  sister  lived  together.  The  brother 
loved  his  sister  so  well  that  he  did  not  want  her 
to  work ;  he  did  all  the  work  himself.  Each  morning  when 
he  was  starting  off  to  hunt  he  said  to  her.  "You  mustn't 
go  out,"  and  he  fastened  the  door.  When  he  came  home 
in  the  evening  he  cooked  and  after  they  had  eaten  he  said 
to  his  sister,  "Lie  down  and  sleep,  I  am  going  to  a  council.' ' 

The  sister  never  knew  when  her  brother  came  home, 
but  when  she  wakened  in  the  morning  he  was  cooking. 
The  girl  didn't  like  to  be  fastened  in,  she  said  nothing,  but 
all  the  time  she  was  thinking  how  she  could  get  out  of  the 
house. 

At  last  a  night  came  when  her  brother  started  off  for- 
getting to  fasten  the  door,  then  she  determined  to  follow 
him  to  the  council.  She  found  his  tracks  and  after  fol- 
lowing them  a  long  distance  came  to  a  house;  she  pushed 
the  skin  door  aside  and  went  in. 

An  old  man  sat  by  a  fire  making  a  wooden  ladle.  He 
looked  up,  and  said,  "Thank  you,  my  niece,  I  have  waited 
a  long  time  for  you  to  come." 

"I  have  come  to  get  you  to  do  something  for  me," 
said  the  girl. 

22 


ADVENTURES  OF  WOLF-MARKED      23 

1 '  I  expected  that  you  would  ask  me  to  do  something  for 
you.  There  they  are,  take  your  choice,"  and  he  pointed 
to  a  pile  of  ladles. 

"It  isn't  a  ladle  that  I  want." 

"What  is  it  then?  Any  one  who  wishes  for  something 
asks  for  it." 

"I  want  you  to  destroy  my  brother.  He  keeps  me 
fastened  into  the  house." 

"I  can't  do  that;  your  brother  has  great  power.  Per- 
haps my  brother  who  lives  near  here  can;  he  has  greater 
power  than  I  have." 

The  girl  went  on.  She  soon  came  to  an  opening  and  in 
the  opening  was  a  house.  She  went  to  the  house  and 
looking  through  a  crack  saw  an  old  man  making  bark 
bowls. 

"Come  in!"  called  the  old  man.  "I  have  been  expect- 
ing you." 

"I  have  come  to  get  you  to  do  something  for  me,"  said 
the  girl. 

"There  they  are,  take  your  choice,"  said  the  old  man 
pointing  to  a  pile  of  bowls. 
"I  don't  want  a  bowl." 
"What  do  you  want?" 
"I  want  you  to  destroy  my  brother." 
"I  can't  destroy  him,  but  I  can  make  him  go  a  long 
way  off." 

"Do  that,"  said  the  girl. 

"This  is  what  you  must  do,"  said  the  old  man.  "When 
you  get  home  begin  to  help  about  the  cooking.  To-morrow 
morning,  just  as  the  sun  comes  up,  look  toward  the 
South  till  you  see  me.  I  shall  come  in  the  form  of  a 
white  turkey.  When  you  see  me,  call  to  your  brother,  '  Oh, 
catch  that  turkey!  I  want  it  for  a  pet.'  He  will  say, 
'I  have  never  heard  of  any  one's  having  a  turkey  for  a 
pet.'  Then  say,  'Kill  it  for  me.'  Stand  just  back  of  the 
door  and  as  he  draws  to  shoot  push  the  door,  hit  the 
arrow  and  make  it  glance  off,  then  your  brother's  courage 
will  appear,  he  will  say,  'I  have  never  been  outrun,'  and 
he  will  chase  me." 

The  next  morning  the  girl  insisted  on  helping  her 
brother  cook,     Just  at  sunrise  she  saw  a  turkey  coming 


24  SENECA  MYTHS 

from  the  South.  When  it  was  near  the  cabin  she  called 
out,  "Oh,  brother,  catch  that  white  turkey!  I  want  it 
for  a  pet." 

"Who  ever  heard  of  having  a  turkey  for  a  pet?"  asked 
he. 

"Well,  kill  it  for  me." 

The  man  fixed  an  arrow  in  his  bow  and  as  he  let  it 
fly,  the  girl  shut  the  door  so  quickly  that  it  hit  the  arrow 
and  sent  it  away  from  the  turkey — then  off  ran  the  man 
to  catch  the  bird. 

The  two  ran  till  midday,  the  turkey  always  a  little 
ahead.  Then  the  turkey  called  out,  "Let  us  rest.  Mark 
where  you  stop  and  I  will  mark  where  I  stop."  After 
resting  a  while  they  started  again  and  ran  till  dark,  then 
the  turkey  called  out,  "Let  us  rest  till  morning." 

The  man  lay  down  at  the  foot  of  a  tree;  the  turkey 
roosted  in  a  hemlock  not  far  away.  Early  the  next  morn- 
ing they  started;  rested  at  midday,  and  when  the  sun 
went  down  they  stopped  for  the  night. 

For  ten  days  they  ran,  then  the  man  began  to  gain  on 
the  turkey.  The  eleventh  day  they  were  running  along 
the  edge  of  a  precipice  when  the  turkey  turned,  ran 
around  the  man  and  pushed  him  over  the  cliff,  saying, 
"This  is  the  kind  of  man  I  am,  I  cannot  be  overcome." 

At  the  bottom  of  the  cliff  was  a  swift  river.  The  man 
struck  the  water  and  floated  down  till  he  came  to  a  fish 
dam  made  by  the  women  of  the  river.  He  lodged  in  the 
dam.  Soon  two  girls  came  to  the  river  to  see  if  they  had 
caught  many  fish.  One  said  to  the  other,  "Look!  there 
is  a  dead  man  in  the  dam.    Run  and  tell  mother  to  come ! ' ' 

The  old  woman  came  and  the  three  pulled  the  man  out 
of  the  water.  On  each  side  of  this  man's  body  was  the 
mark  of  a  wolf. 

"It  is  the  Wolf -Marked  man,"  said  the  mother.  "He 
has  never  been  overpowered  before." 

They  carried  the  man  to  the  house  and  began  to  work 
over  him ;  in  a  short  time  he  opened  his  eyes,  but  he  could 
not  speak.  By  motions  he  made  the  girls  understand 
that  he  wanted  to  smoke.  One  of  the  girls  looked  around 
for  a  pipe,  then  he  motioned  for  his  pouch.  She  found  a 
pipe  in  the  pouch  and  was  about  to  light  it  when  he 


ADVENTURES  OF  WOLF-MARKED      25 

motioned  her  to  give  it  to  him.  He  put  the  pipe  between 
his  lips  and  drawing  twice  or  three  times  lighted  it. 

The  smoke  gave  him  strength  and  soon  he  said,  "Hang 
skin  blankets  around  me." 

The  old  woman  said,  "From  now  on  you  will  be  my 
son,  and  these  girls  will  be  your  sisters." 

The  women  took  great  care  of  Wolf-Marked,  and  he 
was  soon  as  well  as  ever. 

One  day  steps  were  heard  outside,  the  door  was  kicked 
open  and  a  man  came  in.  "I've  come  to  give  you  some 
pudding,"  said  he,  as  he  threw  down  a  lot  of  nasty  bark. 
He  went  off  and  the  women  swept  out  the  bark. 

"Have  you  a  bow  and  arrows?"  asked  Wolf -Marked. 

The  old  woman  gave  him  a  bow  and  arrows.  He  dusted 
the  bow  and  straightened  the  arrows,  then  stringing  an 
arrow  and  saying  to  it,  "Go  and  kill  a  bear,"  he  shot  it 
through  the  smoke  hole.  Soon  a  noise  was  heard  outside. 
The  women  went  to  the  door  and  found  a  bear  lying  dead 
on  the  ground.  They  skinned  it  and  cutting  up  the  meat 
put  it  where  it  would  dry. 

The  next  morning  a  man  kicked  the  door  open  and  was 
about  to  throw  down  a  bundle  of  nasty  bark  when  he 
saw  the  meat,  and,  knowing  there  must  be  a  man  around, 
he  turned  and  ran  off.  Soon  afterward  Wolf-Marked 
said,  "A  man  is  coming  to  visit  me.  When  he  gets  here 
let  him  come  inside  the  skin  blankets." — He  had  always 
stayed  behind  the  blankets  the  women  hung  up  when  he 
first  came. 

The  next  morning  when  the  dew  was  getting  off  the 
grass,  the  women  saw  a  man  coming ;  he  was  unkempt  and 
shabby.  When  he  reached  the  house,  the  mother  told  him 
to  go  behind  the  skins.  The  women  heard  the  two  men 
talking;  toward  night  Shabby  Man  came  out  and  went 
away. 

In  a  few  days  the  same  man  came  again.  This  time  he 
brought  news:  the  chief's  daughters  were  to  marry  but 
their  husbands  must  be  men  who  possessed  powerful  spirits. 
Spirits  that  could  take  any  form  they  liked,  walk  around 
a  fire  and  scatter  wampum  beads. 

"Will  you  try?"  asked  Shabby  Man. 

"No,"  said  Wolf -Marked. 


26  SENECA   MYTHS 

That  night  Shabby  Man  went  to  the  chief's  house.  All 
the  powerful  men  were  there.  When  they  saw  Shabby 
Man  they  pushed  him  out,  but  he  looked  through  a  crack 
and  saw  what  was  going  on. 

The  power  of  the  first  man  who  tried  was  in  a  fisher 
pouch.  He  called  the  pouch  to  life  and  sent  it  around  the 
fire.    It  went  half  way,  then  dropped  down,  a  pouch  again. 

The  second  man's  power  was  in  a  mink  pouch.  The 
pouch  became  a  live  mink,  took  wampum  beads  from  a 
nearby  pile  and  scattered  them  till  a  little  more  than 
half  way  around  the  fire,  then  the  mink  dropped  down, 
a  pouch  again.  Each  man  tried  his  power,  but  the  power 
died  before  it  got  around  the  fire. 

After  a  while,  the  chief  said  to  the  people,  "Go  home 
now,  but  come  again  to-morrow  night." 

The  next  day  Shabby  Man  urged  Wolf -Marked  to  go  to 
the  chief's  house  and  try  his  power.  At  last  Wolf -Marked 
said,  "I  will  go  to-morrow  night. " 

Shabby  Man  went  to  the  chief's  house.  Again  he  was 
thrown  out  and  again  he  looked  in  through  a  crack.  The 
men  cheered  one  another;  Shabby  Man  cheered  too.  Soon 
he  saw  that  as  each  man  tried,  all  of  the  others  blew 
against  his  power  to  prevent  its  getting  around  the  fire; 
Shabby  Man  blew  too. 

After  a  while  the  chief  said,  "Go  home  now;  we  will 
try  again  to-morrow. " 

That  night  when  Wolf -Marked  was  walking  around  out- 
side thinking  what  he  could  use  to  show  his  power,  he 
heard  a  noise  and  then  a  voice  said  to  him  in  a  whisper, 
"I  have  come  to  help  you.  Here  is  a  pouch.  You  will 
find  another  pouch  inside  of  this  one.  Your  friend  will 
use  the  mud  turtle  pouch;  the  fawn  pouch  is  yours,  but 
you  must  not  go  to  the  chief's  house.  Let  the  old  woman 
and  Shabby  Man  go.  Inside  the  pouches  are  little. pieces 
of  medicine  for  the  woman  and  Shabby  Man  to  put  in 
their  mouths  when  they  blow.  When  they  are  in  the 
chief's  house  they  must  sit  side  by  side.  The  woman  will 
take  the  mud  turtle  pouch,  shake  it  till  it  grows  large  and 
comes  to  life,  then  Shabby  Man  will  set  it  down  and  tell 
it  to  go  around  the  fire  and  not  to  let  anything  stop  it. 
When  the  turtle  gets  around,  the  woman  must  put  the 


ADVENTURES  OF  WOLF-MARKED      27 

fawn  pouch  down,  bring  it  to  life  and  tell  it  to  go 
around  the  fire.  When  the  turtle  and  fawn  have  won 
Shabby  Man  must  take  one  of  the  chief's  daughters  and 
go  to  his  own  home ;  the  other  daughter  must  come  to  you. ' ' 

Wolf-Marked  took  the  pouches  and  thanked  his  friend. 

The  next  morning,  just  at  daylight,  Shabby  Man  came 
and  asked,  "Are  you  ready ?" 

"I  am  ready,"  answered  Wolf-Marked. 

"Well,  let  us  try  our  power  and  see  if  we  are  going  to 
succeed. ' ' 

"We  will  succeed,"  said  Wolf -Marked. 

"Let  us  try  so  as  to  get  used  to  doing  it,"  urged  Shabby 
Man. 

"There  is  no  need  of  trying,"  said  the  other. 

Shabby  Man  urged  a  long  time,  then  he  went  off  but  he 
soon  came  back  and  began  again,  urged  till  he  was  tired, 
went  off  and  again  came  back  to  tease  Wolf-Marked  to 
try  his  power.  All  day  he  kept  going  and  coming  back 
to  urge  again.  At  dark  he  said,  "We  must  start  now 
or  we  will  not  get  seats." 

"Wait  a  while,"  answered  his  friend.  "They  will  give 
us  seats  when  we  get  there." 

After  dark  Wolf -Marked  said  to  the  old  woman,  "Mother, 
I  want  you  to  go  with  this  man  to  the  chief's  house." 

Shabby  Man  was  disappointed.  "Won't  you  go?" 
asked  he. 

"No,  my  mother  will  go  in  my  place." 

"You  had  better  go,  we  may  fail." 

"You  will  not  fail,"  said  Wolf -Marked. 

On  the  road  Shabby  Man  said,  "Let  us  hurry!"  And 
he  went  ahead  and  waited.  When  the  woman  overtook 
him,  he  again  urged  her  to  walk  fast.  At  last  they  were 
there. 

When  the  people  saw  Shabby  Man  and  the  woman  they 
wanted  to  throw  them  out,  but  the  chief  said,  "Let  them 
stay. ' ' 

When  Shabby  Man's  turn  came  he  put  the  piece  of 
medicine  in  his  mouth;  the  woman  put  down  the  turtle 
pouch  and  urged  the  turtle  on.  The  people  began  to 
call  for  a  close  of  the  meeting.  Shabby  Man  insisted  on 
trying  and  said,  "0  chief,  give  us  a  chance!" 


28  SENECA   MYTHS 

The  chief  said  to  the  people,  ''Sit  down  and  give  them 
a  chance." 

They  did  all  they  could  to  obstruct  the  turtle,  but  it 
came  around  to  the  starting  point.  Shabby  Man  picked  it 
up  and  gave  it  to  the  woman.  She  shook  it  and  made  it 
small.    It  was  again  a  pouch. 

Shabby  Man  got  up  and  took  his  place  by  the  chief's 
daughter. 

The  people  said,  "Now  we  will  go  home,"  but  the  woman 
insisted  on  having  a  chance.  They  got  up  to  go,  but  she 
cried  at  the  top  of  her  voice,  "Come  back,  and  let  me 
try.  If  I  succeed  I  have  some  one  to  marry  the  chief's 
daughter. ' ' 

The  chief  said,  ■ '  Sit  down  and  let  the  woman  try. ' ' 

She  got  the  fawn  skin  pouch  out  and  shook  it.  It 
became  a  live  fawn.  She  put  it  down  and  told  it  to  run 
around  the  fire.    It  was  around  in  a  flash. 

The  chief  said,  "This  is  the  end.  What  I  required  has 
been  accomplished. ' ' 

Everyone  went  home,  with  Shabby  Man  went  the  chief's 
elder  daughter. 

The  next  morning  men  came  to  Wolf-Marked,  and  said, 
"The  chief  has  sent  for  you  to  come  and  claim  his 
daughter. ' ' 

"She  must  come  to  me,"  said  the  young  man,  "and 
Shabby  Man  and  his  wife  must  come  too." 

The  three  came,  and  Wolf-Marked  was  the  husband  of 
the  chief's  younger  daughter. 

The  men  hunted  and  killed  plenty  of  game;  the  women 
took  care  of  the  skins,  and  cooked.  Some  time  passed. 
The  men  of  the  village  were  jealous  of  Wolf -Marked  and 
they  plotted  against  him.  They  put  up  a  long  pole,  and 
said,  "Whoever  can  lodge  a  ball  on  the  top  of  the  pole 
will  win,  we  have  a  man  who  can  do  it.  We  will  challenge 
Wolf-Marked  and  he  will  lose.  The  wager  will  be  seven 
heads." 

As  the  woman  and  her  daughters  sat  in  the  house,  they 
saw  a  man  coming  on  a  run ;  the  door  flew  open  and  in  he 
came.  When  he  saw  Wolf-Marked  he  said,  "I  have  come 
to  challenge  you  to  lodge  a  ball  on  the  top  of  a  pole,  the 
wager  is  seven  heads  on  each  side." 


ADVENTURES  OF  WOLF-MARKED      29 

"Very  well,"  said  Wolf -Marked.  "That  is  the  game 
I  amuse  myself  with."  When  the  runner  left,  the  old 
woman  began  to  cry  and  lament.  "Don't  cry,"  said  Wolf- 
Marked.  "Nothing  will  happen  to  us."  She  only  cried 
the  harder,  and  wailed  that  he  would  surely  lose,  and 
then  the  seven  members  of  the  family  would  be  destroyed. 
But  after  a  time  he  was  able  to  quiet  her. 

That  night  when  Wolf-Marked  was  standing  outside 
and  thinking  about  the  challenge,  thinking  that  maybe  he 
would  lose,  he  heard  a  whisper  and  a  voice  said,  "When 
you  were  challenged  you  said,  'That  is  the  game  I  amuse 
myself  with.'  This  will  come  true.  Don't  use  their  ball 
and  don't  begin  the  game.  Here  is  the  ball  you  are  to  use, 
and  here  is  a  piece  of  medicine  for  you  to  put  in  your 
mouth  when  you  go  to  the  place;  with  it  in  your  mouth 
blow  against  their  ball." 

The  next  morning,  when  it  was  time  to  go,  Shabby  Man 
said,  "I  am  sick,  I  can't  go.  Couldn't  you  bet  three 
against  three,  the  old  woman  and  her  two  daughters  on 
our  side?" 

'  'No,"  said  Wolf -Marked,  "We  have  agreed  seven 
against  seven.     We  must  all  go." 

When  they  reached  the  place,  they  saw  a  long  pole  stand- 
ing in  the  center  of  an  opening.  Seven  men  were  stand- 
ing near  the  pole;  they  were  the  wager  on  the  chief's  side. 
Now  Wolf-Marked  and  his  wife,  the  mother  and  her  two 
daughters  and  Shabby  Man  and  his  wife  stood  together 
as  the  wager  on  Wolf-Marked 's  side.  Stuck  into  the  pole 
was  a  great  flint  knife  with  which  to  cut  off  their  heads. 

The  chief  asked  Wolf -Marked  to  begin  the  game.  When 
he  refused  a  man  on  the  chief's  side  picked  up  the  ball, 
rubbed  it  a  long  time,  then  threw  it  into  the  air.  It  came 
down,  hit  the  top  of  the  pole  and  bounded  back  and  went 
up  again.  Wolf -Marked  was  blowing  against  it,  and  he 
had  the  medicine  in  his  mouth.  At  last  he  said  in  his 
mind,  "Let  the  ball  fall."  It  came  to  the  ground,  then 
the  chief  gave  it  to  Wolf -Marked,  and  said,  "Now  it  is 
your  turn." 

"I  have  a  ball  of  my  own,"  said  Wolf -Marked,  and  he 
refused  to  take  the  chief's  ball.  He  said  to  his  own  ball, 
"Be  faithful.    Don't  fall,  stick  to  the  pole." 


30  SENECA  MYTHS 

He  rubbed  the  ball  in  his  hands,  then  threw  it  up,  the 
whiz  was  heard,  and  right  away  the  ball  was  out  of  sight. 
After  a  long  time  they  heard  it  strike  the  sky,  and  it  made 
a  pleasant  sound,  a  sound  that  was  heard  by  all  of  the 
people  in  the  world.  It  came  down,  hit  the  pole  and 
bounded  back  to  the  sky.  Three  times  it  went  to  the  sky. 
The  third  time  it  hit,  the  sound  was  very  faint.  Many 
times  it  went  up,  but  a  little  lower  every  time. 

Each  man  on  the  chief's  side  was  wishing  with  all  his 
power  that  the  ball  would  fall  to  the  ground.  The  seven 
of  Wolf  -Marked 's  party  were  wishing  it  to  stay  on  the 
pole.     There  was  great  excitement. 

The  ball  struck  the  top  of  the  pole  and  stayed  there. 

"You  have  won  the  game,"  said  the  chief. 

"That  is  what  I  expected.  I  knew  that  we  would  win," 
said  Shabby  Man.  And  straightway  he  cut  off  the  seven 
heads,  the  chief's  wager. 

Wolf-Marked  and  his  friends  went  home  and  were  happy, 
but  the  men  of  the  village  were  still  plotting.  After  a 
good  deal  of  talk  one  of  the  men  said,  "This  is  what  we 
will  do:  I  am  the  swiftest  runner  in  the  world.  I  have 
never  been  beaten.  Challenge  Wolf-Marked  to  run  a  race 
with  me.  We  will  run  around  the  lake,  and  the  wager 
will  be  seven  heads." 

A  man  went  to  Wolf-Marked  and  notified  him  of  the 
race  and  its  conditions. 

"That  is  the  game  I  like  best,"  said  he.  "I  have  never 
been  beaten;  I  can  outrun  anyone." 

When  the  old  woman  heard  of  the  challenge,  she  cried 
and  lamented. 

"Stop  crying,"  said  Wolf -Marked.  "Nothing  will  hap- 
pen to  us." 

When  everyone  in  the  house  was  asleep,  Wolf-Marked 
went  outside  and  stood  thinking  what  he  could  do  to  win. 
All  at  once  he  heard  a  whisper  and  a  voice  said,  "Come 
here!" 

He  went  toward  the  voice  and  listened,  soon  the  voice 
said,  "You  are  going  to  run  a  race.  You  said  that  you 
liked  the  game;  you  will  not  be  disappointed  this  time. 
When  the  runner  finds  that  you  are  winning,  he  will  throw 
back  a  buffalo  horn.     It  will  stick  in  your  foot,  pull  it 


ADVENTURES  OF  WOLF-MARKED      31 

out  and  throw  it  at  him  as  hard  as  you  can.     You  will 
win. ' ' 

The  next  morning  Wolf -Marked  said  to  his  family,  "Get 
ready ! ' ' 

"I  am  sick,"  said  Shabby  Man,  "I  can't  go." 

"You  must  go,"  said  Wolf-Marked.  "The  wager  is 
seven  heads,  we  must  all  be  there." 

When  they  reached  the  place,  they  saw  a  crowd  of  people, 
and  seven  men  standing  a  little  to  one  side ;  they  were  the 
chief's  wager. 

The  chief  said,  "Each  runner  must  take  hold  of  a  long 
pole  and  run  against  that  hickory  tree  over  there,  bend 
the  tree  down  drawing  the  pole  across  it.  When  the  pole 
comes  off  from  the  top  and  the  tree  springs  back,  drop  the 
pole  and  run."    The  pole  was  of  red  willow. 

The  runners  started  exactly  at  midday,  the  chief's  run- 
ner holding  one  end  of  the  pole,  Wolf-Marked  the  other. 
They  had  to  pull  hard  to  bend  the  tree  over.  Just  as  they 
got  the  pole  near  the  top,  the  chief's  runner  let  go  of  his 
end  and  Wolf-Marked  was  thrown  far  back  beyond  the 
crowd  of  people.  He  sprang  up  and  saying,  ' '  I  have  never 
been  beaten!"  he  gave  a  whoop  and  ran.  His  opponent 
was  out  of  sight.     People  shouted  with  joy. 

Shabby  Man  rolled  on  the  ground,  and  cried,  "Oh,  we 
are  beaten !  We  are  beaten !  If  he  had  only  said  that  the 
wager  would  be  one  head,  and  that  his  own ! ' ' 

When  Wolf-Marked  got  out  of  sight,  he  called  a  mole, 
and  said, ' '  You  see  that  man  running.    Get  ahead  of  him ! ' ' 

Wolf-Marked  went  into  the  mole;  the  mole  went  under 
the  ground  and  came  out  ahead  of  the  runner,  who  wasn't 
going  very  fast  for  he  thought  Wolf-Marked  was  far  be- 
hind. 

After  a  while  he  saw  a  track  and  thought,  "Can  he  be 
ahead?"  then  he  ran  swiftly,  but  didn't  see  anyone.  Look- 
ing again  at  the  tracks  he  said  in  his  mind,  "  He  is  ahead ! ' ' 
and  taking  a  buffalo  horn  out  of  his  pouch  he  told  it  to 
go  to  the  young  man  and  stick  in  his  foot;  and  he  threw 
it.  The  horn  overtook  Wolf-Marked  and  as  one  of  his  feet 
came  up  it  went  into  it,  and  he  fell  to  the  ground.  He 
tried  to  pull  the  horn  out,  but  couldn't.     As  the  chief's 


32  SENECA   MYTHS 

runner  passed  he  called  out,  "Get  up!  I  never  before 
saw  a  man  sit  down  when  he  was  running  a  race. ' ' 

Just  then  Wolf -Marked 's  whispering  friend  said  to  him, 
"Pull  the  horn  out,  throw  it,  and  say,  'Go  fast  and  enter 
the  runner's  foot  so  deep  that  he  can't  get  you  out.'  " 

Wolf -Marked  threw  the  horn  and  ran  on.  He  hadn't 
gone  far  when  he  saw  his  opponent  sitting  on  the  ground 
trying  to  get  the  horn  out  of  his  foot.  "Stop  and  help 
me,"  begged  he. 

"I  didn't  say  that  when  you  sent  the  horn  into  my  foot," 
said  Wolf-Marked,  and  he  ran  on. 

All  the  people  were  watching  to  see  which  runner  was 
ahead.  The  chief's  party  said,  "We  might  as  well  begin 
to  cut  off  those  heads,  we  will  cut  off  six,  then  take  Wolf- 
Marked  's  when  he  comes. ' ' 

A  man  seized  a  flint  knife  and  ran  to  Shabby  Man, 
but  the  chief  called  to  him,  "Wait  till  the  runners  get 
here." 

At  last  they  saw  one  runner,  then  the  crowd  shouted, 
"Our  man  is  coming!    Our  man  is  coming!" 

When  the  runner  came  a  little  nearer,  people  began  to 
feel  uneasy;  they  were  not  quite  sure  that  it  was  their 
man — then  they  saw  that  it  was  Wolf-Marked. 

Shabby  Man  looked  up,  he  had  been  sitting  with  his  head 
down,  thinking  that  right  away  he  was  going  to  lose  his 
life.  Then  he  called  out,  "Just  as  I  told  you!  I  knew 
Wolf -Marked  would  win." 

When  the  runner  came  near,  he  called  to  his  friend, 
"Why  don't  you  take  the  wager?" 

Up  jumped  Shabby  Man,  and  soon  seven  heads  were 
lying  on  the  ground. 

Twin  boys  were  born  to  Wolf-Marked  and  they  were 
marked  exactly  as  he  was.  When  the  first  one  was  born, 
the  father  picked  him  up  and  threw  him  over  the  skin  en- 
closure where  he  himself  had  stayed  when  he  first  came  to 
the  old  woman's  cabin,  and  as  he  threw  the  child,  he  said, 
"This,  my  first  son,  must  grow  to  be  a  powerful  man." 
When  the  second  child  was  born,  he  threw  it  over  the  en- 
closure, and  said,  ' '  This,  my  second  son  must  grow  to  be  a 
powerful  man." 

Nobody  paid  any  attention  to  the  children.     After  a 


ADVENTURES  OF  WOLF-MARKED      33 

time  talking  was  heard,  then  a  voice  said,  "Father,  we 
want  a  club  and  a  ball  to  play  with." 

Wolf-Marked  threw  in  a  ball  and  a  club.  Some  days 
passed,  then  one  of  the  boys  called  out,  "Father,  we  are 
tired  of  the  club  and  ball,  we  want  a  bow  and  arrows." 
He  gave  them  a  bow  and  made  them  red  willow  arrows. 

For  a  time  they  were  satisfied,  then  one  called  out, 
' '  Father  we  want  to  go  for  our  aunt ! ' ' 

"Very  well.  When  you  start  go  in  the  direction  the 
sun  goes,  and  don't  let  anything  stop  you." 

The  boys  started.  They  went  through  a  wide  valley  and 
climbed  a  hill  at  the  end  of  the  valley.  They  were  walk- 
ing along  quietly  when  the  younger  brother  called  out, 
"Stop  brother,  and  look  at  this." 

"No,"  answered  the  elder  brother,  "our  father  told  us 
not  to  stop." 

The  younger  brother  thought,  "Yes,  our  father  told  us 
not  to  let  anything  stop  us,"  and  he  hurried  on. 

They  had  traveled  a  number  of  days  when  the  younger 
boy  asked,  "Brother,  what  would  frighten  you  most?" 

1 '  Our  father  told  us  not  to  be  frightened  by  anything, ' ' 
answered  the  elder  boy.    "What  would  you  be  afraid  of?" 

"Of  Big  Head  (Whirlwind)." 

That  minute  the  boys  heard  a  great  noise.  From  the 
southwest  came  a  terrible  roar.  The  elder  brother  kept  on ; 
the  younger  was  frightened,  but  when  Big  Head  was  near 
he  said  to  himself,  "I  won't  be  afraid." 

That  minute  the  roar  and  wind  ceased. 

At  last  the  brothers  came  to  a  trail  and  saw  foot-prints 
all  going  in  one  direction.  The  trail  ran  north  and  south, 
the  foot-prints  pointed  north,  some  were  very  large,  others 
were  small. 

The  elder  brother  glanced  at  the  tracks  and  went  on, 
the  younger  stopped  and  looking  at  the  tracks  said,  "Let 
us  follow  them  and  find  out  what  is  going  on." 

"Our  father  told  us  not  to  stop,"  answered  his  brother. 

"It  won't  take  long;  we  can  come  right  back,"  urged 
the  younger.  The  elder  brother  yielded  and  they  followed 
the  foot-prints ;  they  had  not  gone  far  when  a  man  of  enor- 
mous size  came  along,  seized  the  boys  and,  tucking  one 
under  each  arm,  walked  off.     Soon  he  came  to  a  village 


34  SENECA   MYTHS 

and  going  into  a  hut  at  the  edge  of  it  said  to  men  sitting 
around,  "I  have  brought  game.  We  will  notify  the 
people/ ' 

The  boys  were  taken  to  the  long  house  in  the  center  of 
the  village.  Two  large  kettles  were  brought  and  made 
ready.  As  people  came  in  they  went  up  and  looked  the 
game  over.  When  the  chief  came  he  looked  also,  but  what 
he  saw  frightened  him.  Right  away  he  said,  "Free  these 
boys;  they  are  the  sons  of  the  Wolf -Marked  Man.  If  we 
harm  them  he  will  destroy  us ;  he  is  the  most  powerful  man 
in  the  world. ' ' 

The  people  of  this  village  were  all  Frost  (or  Ice)  people. 

They  liberated  the  boys  and  the  two  traveled  on  till 
they  came  to  a  beautiful  country. 

"I  think  that  our  aunt  is  near  here,,,  said  the  younger 
boy. 

"Oh,  no,"  said  the  elder,  "she  must  be  far  away  yet." 

The  younger  brother  insisted  that  his  aunt  was  near 
and  he  began  to  look  around.  The  elder  stopped  and 
watched  him. 

The  boy  came  to  a  hollow  tree  and  in  the  opening  saw 
the  body  of  a  woman. 

"Come  here,  brother,"  called  he,  "I  have  found  our 
aunt." 

He  struck  the  woman  with  his  arrow;  she  didn't  move, 
then  he  struck  her  twice  with  his  bow,  and  said,  "Your 
brother  has  sent  for  you." 

The  woman  moved  and  roused  up  a  little ;  her  face  was 
covered  with  scabs  and  sores  and  she  was  frightful  to  look 
at.  The  younger  boy  rubbed  her  with  saliva;  the  scabs 
fell  off,  and  she  was  well.  Then  the  boys  saw  that  she  was 
a  fine-looking  woman. 

"Now  we  will  go  home,"  said  the  younger  brother,  and 
the  three  started. 

Wolf-Marked  had  forgiven  his  sister  for  trying  to  de- 
stroy him ;  he  was  glad  to  see  her.  After  this  they  all  lived 
together  happily. 


OKTEONDO  AND  HIS  UNCLE,  THE  PLANTER 

OB 

WINTER  DELAYING  SPRING 
[Told  by  John  Armstrong] 


Characters 


Okteondo11 Roots,  or  the  Rooted  One 

Haienthwus Planter 

WADYOnYOnDYES, 

Wild  Duck  People  (Wild  Duck  is  TVwe) 
Hotho Cold  Weather 


OKTEONDO11  lived  in  the  woods  with  his  uncle 
Haienthwus.  The  young  man  lay  fastened  under 
the  roots  of  an  elm  tree  which  grew  through  his  uncle's 
bark  house.  When  very  small,  his  uncle  had  hidden  him 
there  so  nobody  could  carry  him  off.  There  were  persons 
in  the  South  who  came  North  to  steal  the  boys  of  the 
Wampum  people. 

One  day,  while  the  uncle  was  planting  corn,  he  heard 
his  nephew  sing  in  a  loud  voice,  "lam  rising,  I  am  rising. ' ' 

The  old  man  dropped  his  planting  stick,  and  saying, 
"No,  nephew,  you  are  in  too  great  a  hurry,"  he  ran  home, 
and,  finding  that  the  boy  had  raised  his  head,  he  pushed 
him  back,  and  said,  "I  will  tell  you  when  it  is  time  to 
rise.  As  soon  as  you  get  up,  women,  who  float  around  in 
a  canoe,  will  come  from  the  South  and  carry  you  away." 

The  next  day  the  old  man  went  out  to  plant  corn  and 

35 


36  SENECA  MYTHS 

a  second  time  his  nephew  began  to  sing  and  to  try  to  get 
up.  He  ran  home  so  fast  that  he  lost  his  seed  corn  by  the 
way  and  when  he  came  to  the  house  he  found  the  tree 
leaning  over.  He  put  his  nephew  back,  but  the  tree  could 
not  be  fixed  as  firmly  as  before. 

On  the  third  day  Haienthwus  went  to  finish  his  plant- 
ing, but  the  minute  he  began  to  drop  seed  he  heard  the 
song,  "lam  rising !  I  am  rising ! ' '  He  ran  towards  home 
but  while  running  he  heard  an  awful  crash,  and  he  knew 
the  tree  had  fallen ;  when  he  reached  the  house  Okteondo11 
was  sitting  on  the  ground. 

The  old  man  didn't  go  back  to  his  planting;  he  stayed 
at  home  to  look  after  his  nephew. 

Early  the  next  morning  they  heard  women  singing  and 
soon  a  beautiful  young  woman  came  in;  one  of  the  Wild 
Duck  sisters. 

She  put  down  a  basket  near  the  old  man,  and  said,  • l  Here 
is  the  marriage  bread,"  and  going  to  Okteondo11  she  said, 
"I  have  come  to  take  you  home  with  me." 

"Very  well,"  answered  the  young  man,  and  he  was 
starting  to  go  when  his  uncle  stopped  him,  and  said,  ' '  You 
must  not  go  yet,  you  have  friends  coming,  men  whom  these 
sisters  have  stolen.    You  must  wait  for  them." 

The  women  went  away  and  the  old  man  began  to  cook. 
He  put  over  the  fire  a  kettle  with  hominy  (snow)  in  it. 
When  the  hominy  was  ready,  three  young  men  came  in. 
Haienthwus  invited  them  to  eat  and  when  they  had  eaten, 
he  put  clothing  in  a  bundle  and  said  to  his  nephew,  "If 
your  friends  are  in  need  of  things,  you  will  find  them  in 
this  bundle." 

The  young  man  put  on  snowshoes,  told  his  friends  to 
walk  in  his  tracks;  and  they  started.  The  three  young 
men  found  that  walking  in  Okteondo11  's  tracks  was  like 
walking  on  solid  ground. 

Toward  night  the  young  man  saw  a  smoke  and  going 
near  it  found  four  fires  and  four  young  women.  Each 
woman  had  her  own  fire. 

"We  will  make  our  fires  near  theirs,"  said  the  young 
man. 

When  the  fires  were  burning,  he  went  boldly  up  to  where 
the  four  sisters  had  their  fires.     Over  each  fire  a  kettle 


OKTEONDO  AND  HIS  UNCLE         37 

of  hominy  was  boiling.  He  walked  through  the  fires  from 
the  first  one  to  the  last,  and  threw  the  kettles  over.  Three 
of  the  sisters  were  angry,  but  the  youngest  sister  laughed. 

Okteondo11  went  back  to  his  friends,  and  said,  "I  am 
going  to  hunt  now,"  and  he  started  off.  Very  near  his 
fire  he  saw  bear  marks  on  a  tree.  He  struck  the  tree,  and 
said:  "You  who  are  in  here,  come  out." 

A  bear  came  out;  he  killed  it  and  carried  the  meat  to 
the  camp.  Then  he  said,  "I  will  bring  my  uncle's  kettle," 
and  going  behind  a  tree  he  brought  back  a  big  kettle. 

When  the  meat  was  cooked,  the  friends  sat  down  and 
ate,  and  when  all  had  eaten  enough  Okteondo11  said,  "We 
will  go  to  where  our  wives  are,  but  we  must  not  take  any 
of  this  meat  to  them,  if  we  do  we  will  have  bad  luck." 

When  they  came  to  the  women,  they  found  they  had 
hominy  cooked  and  were  cooling  it;  they  sat  with  their 
backs  to  the  men,  facing  the  direction  they  were  traveling 
in.  The  youngest  sister,  whom  Okteondo11  claimed  as  his 
wife,  asked  him  to  come  and  eat;  the  other  sisters  said 
nothing. 

H6tho  (Cold),  one  of  the  three  friends,  was  naked;  he 
had  a  hole  through  his  hip  and  in  that  hole  he  carried  a 
mallet;  he  chose  the  eldest  of  the  Wild  Duck  sisters. 

The  women  kept  their  canoe  on  one  side  of  the  first 
fire  and  when  they  undressed  they  put  their  clothes  in  the 
canoe. 

The  next  morning  the  men  went  back  to  their  fires,  but 
one  of  them  had  lost  his  leggings  and  moccasins;  his  wife 
had  stolen  them. 

The  sisters  warmed  up  the  cold  hominy  and  ate  it.  After 
eating  they  sat  in  their  canoe  and  sailed  away  through 
the  air. 

Okteondo11  opened  the  bundle  his  uncle  had  given  him, 
took  out  leggings  and  moccasins  and  gave  them  to  the  man 
whose  wife  had  stolen  his  clothes. 

When  the  men  had  eaten  and  were  ready,  they  started 
off,  following  the  canoe,  the  trail  of  which  they  saw  in  the 
air. 

Towards  evening  the  young  man  saw  a  smoke  and  when 
some  distance  from  it,  he  said,  "We  will  stay  here." 

Again  he  went  to  where  the  sisters  were  camped,  walked 


38  SENECA   MYTHS 

through  their  fires  and  spilled  their  hominy.  Then  he 
went  back  to  his  friends  and  started  off  to  hunt  for  game ; 
but  this  time  he  had  to  go  far,  for  the  woman  who  had 
stolen  the  leggings  and  moccasins  had  long  arms.  She  had 
stretched  them  out  over  the  country,  made  a  circle  with 
them  and  told  the  game  to  go  outside  that  circle.  Okteon- 
dod  had  to  go  outside  the  circle  too,  before  he  could  find  a 
bear.  When  he  had  the  bear,  he  went  back  to  camp  and 
said  to  the  three  men,  ' '  You  have  tired  me  with  your  folly. 
I  told  you  not  to  take  even  one  bite  of  our  meat  to  those 
women.    You  disobeyed  me." 

He  got  a  kettle  as  before,  cooked  some  of  the  bear  meat 
and  they  all  ate  heartily,  then  they  went  over  to  where 
the  women  were  camped.  Each  woman  was  sitting  with  a 
dish  of  hot  hominy  on  her  knees,  cooling  it.  Their  faces 
were  turned  in  the  direction  in  which  they  were  traveling. 

The  youngest  sister  asked  Okteondo11  to  eat.  The  young 
man  grew  angrier  and  angrier  and  in  the  night,  when  all 
were  asleep,  he  said  to  a  great  tree  that  stood  near  the 
canoe  the  women  traveled  in,  "I  want  you  to  bend  down 
to  me."  The  tree  bent  down  to  him  and  he  fastened  the 
canoe  among  its  topmost  branches,  then  he  said,  "I  want 
you  to  stand  straight."  The  tree  stood  erect.  Then  he 
said,  "I  want  you  to  be  covered  with  ice."  The  tree  was 
covered  with  ice. 

Okteondo11  did  this  because  he  was  angry  at  the  woman 
who  had  stolen  the  leggings  and  moccasins  of  one  of  his 
companions,  and  had  driven  the  game  away  and  made  him 
go  so  far  to  hunt  for  a  bear. 

Early  the  next  morning  the  young  men  went  back  to 
their  own  camp. 

When  the  women  couldn't  find  their  canoe  they  ran 
around  looking  for  it,  ran  for  a  good  while.  At  last  they 
saw  it  in  the  top  of  the  tree.  The  eldest  sister  said,  "I 
will  try  to  get  it  down. ' '  She  spat  on  her  hands  and  feet, 
rubbed  the  spittle  in  and  right  away  long  nails,  like  bear 
claws,  grew  out  on  her  fingers  and  toes.  She  began  to 
climb,  went  half  way  up  the  tree,  then  lost  her  grip  and 
came  down,  her  claws  scratching  the  ice  as  she  slipped. 

Now  the  sisters  talked  together  and  said  that  Okteondo11, 
and  no  one  else,  had  done  this.     They  asked  him  about  it 


OKTEONDO  AND  HIS  UNCLE         39 

and  he  said,  "I  put  your  canoe  on  the  tree  because  you 
made  me  angry." 

When  they  promised  not  to  steal  again,  he  told  the  tree 
to  bend  down.  The  tree  bent  to  the  ground  and  Okteondo11 
took  off  the  canoe  and  gave  it  to  the  sisters,  who  dressed 
themselves,  took  their  food  out  of  the  canoe,  cooked 
hominy,  ate  it  and  then  sat  in  the  canoe  and  continued  their 
journey. 

All  day  the  four  men  followed  the  trail  of  the  canoe. 
Towards  evening  they  saw  a  smoke  in  the  distance,  but 
when  they  drew  near  they  found  a  great  lake  covered 
with  smooth  ice. 

In  the  middle  of  the  lake  the  four  sisters  were  camped. 
Okteondo11  said  to  his  friends,  "We  will  camp  on  the  ice' 
too."  And  getting  a  handful  of  dry  leaves  and  hemlock 
boughs  he  said  to  the  men,  "Follow  in  my  steps,  and  be 
sure  to  put  your  feet  in  my  tracks." 

When  near  the  sisters'  camp,  he  said,  "We  will  camp 
here."  He  put  down  his  handful  of  boughs  and  leaves  and 
it  became  a  great  pile.  He  said,  "I  want  a  fire!"  And 
there  was  a  fire.  He  scattered  a  handful  of  hemlock  boughs 
on  the  other  side  of  the  fire,  and  said,  ' '  Here  will  be  our 
house  and  beds."  And  straightway  a  house  of  hemlock 
boughs  covered  their  fire,  and  in  the  house  was  a  place  for 
each  one  of  the  four  men  to  sleep. 

The  home  of  the  sisters  was  on  the  edge  of  the  lake,  but 
they  camped  in  the  middle  of  it,  on  the  ice,  to  see  how 
the  men  would  act  and  what  power  they  had. 

In  the  morning  Okteondo11  saw  that  the  banks  of  the 
lake  were  black  with  people. 

The  sisters  went  to  their  home  on  the  land  and  their 
mother  asked,  "Which  of  your  husbands  has  the  most 
power  ? ' ' 

They  answered  "Okteondo11." 

Now  Okteondo11  said  to  the  three  men,  "We  will  go  to 
the  women,  but  you  must  not  look  at  the  people." 

The  four  started,  from  their  camp  on  the  ice,  for  the 
shore.  When  they  had  gone  a  short  distance  three  of  them 
heard  a  voice  singing,  "We  are  raining  bones.  We  are 
raining  bones."  They  heard  the  song  a  second  time,  and 
nearer,  then  they  heard  a  rustling  noise  and  a  mass  of 


40  SENECA  MYTHS 

dry  bones  swept  past  them  on  the  ice.  Okteondo11  said, 
' '  One  of  us  has  looked  up  and  he  has  turned  to  bones. ' ' 

At  that  moment  all  the  people  on  the  shore  disappeared 
except  an  old  woman  who  was  walking  back  and  forth  sing- 
ing, "Okteondo11  is  my  son-in-law.  Okteondo11  is  my  son- 
in-law.  ' ' 

When  the  young  man  and  his  two  friends  came  to  the 
shore,  the  old  woman  went  home  and  they  followed  her 
and  went  to  her  house.  When  there  she  said,  "I  will  see 
if  my  daughters  are  getting  you  something  to  eat.  You 
must  wait  here  till  I  come  back."    Her  house  was  of  ice. 

While  she  was  gone,  Okteondo"  took  a  small  bundle  of 
sticks  and  said,  "Let  them  burn."  Straightway  the  pile 
of  sticks  became  large  and  there  was  a  great  fire.  Then 
he  said  to  the  two  men,  ' '  The  old  woman  will  bring  food, 
but  you  mustn  't  eat  it.  I  will  eat  it  for  it  won 't  hurt  me. ' ' 
He  made  a  hole  in  the  ice,  took  a  reed  and  put  it  through 
himself  into  the  hole. 

The  old  woman  came,  and  said,  "Son-in-law,  I  have 
brought  you  a  little  to  eat.  It  is  the  rule  to  eat  only  a 
little  after  a  long  journey." 

The  young  man  took  the  bark  bowl  and  ate  all  the  food. 
It  ran  through  the  reed  into  the  ground.  The  food  was 
hominy  (snow)   and  bloodsuckers  (clouds). 

Soon  she  came  with  a  second  bowl,  and  said,  "I  have 
brought  more  for  you.  This  is  hominy  cooked  with  maple 
sugar."     (It  was  wild  flint,  a  weed  that  floats  on  water.) 

When  the  old  woman's  house  was  getting  full  of  holes 
from  the  heat  of  the  fire,  she  said,  "Whu!  My  son-in-law 
has  spoiled  my  house.    We'll  go  to  my  daughters'  house." 

Okteondo11 's  wife  said  to  him,  "My  mother  will  try  to 
kill  you;  she  doesn't  care  about  the  other  men  for  she 
knows  what  power  they  have  and  that  she  can  kill  them 
whenever  she  wants  to." 

Towards  night  the  old  woman  said,  "Whu!  I  think  it's 
going  to  be  cold  to-night,  I  will  get  logs  and  make  a  great 
fire  to  keep  my  back  warm."  She  brought  logs  from  the 
woods  and  made  a  hot  fire. 

Okteondo11  's  wife  said,  "My  mother  will  say  to-night, 
'I  dreamed  that  my  son-in-law  must  go  hunting  and  kill 
Skada'gea.     fln-the-Mist,  a  bird]  and  he  must  come  back 


OKTEONDO  AND  HIS  UNCLE         41 

before  the  door  that  he  slams  behind  him  stops  shaking. 
If  he  doesn't,  something  bad  will  happen/  " 

When  night  came,  all  lay  down  to  sleep.  In  the  middle 
of  the  night  the  old  woman  began  to  groan  terribly,  she 
rolled  out  of  her  place  and  into  the  fire  with  such  force 
that  she  pushed  the  fire-brands  and  coals  about  the  house. 

Okteondo11  jumped  up,  took  the  corn-pounder,  struck 
her  and  called  out,  "Well,  Mother-in-law,  what  are  you 
doing?" 

The  old  woman  sat  up,  and  said,  "Oh,  I  have  had  a 
dream.  I  dreamt  that  you,  my  son-in-law,  must  kill  In- 
the-Mist  and  bring  him  in  here  before  the  door,  that  you 
slam  behind  you  when  going  out,  stops  trembling.  If  you 
fail  to  do  this,  something  bad  will  happen." 

"Go  to  sleep,  Mother-in-law,"  said  the  young  man,  "we 
will  see  to  that  in  the  morning." 

The  old  woman  lay  down  again  and  slept. 

The  next  morning  Okteondo11  was  ready.  He  took  hairs 
from  his  wife's  head  and  tied  them  together  till  he  had 
a  long  cord.  Then  he  tied  one  end  of  the  cord  to  the  door 
and  giving  the  other  end  to  his  wife  told  her  to  jerk  it  and 
keep  the  door  trembling  till  he  came  back  from  shooting 
In-the-Mist. 

Okteondo11  started  and  before  he  had  gone  far  from  the 
house  he  saw  In-the-Mist  sitting  on  a  cloud.  He  let  go 
his  arrow,  and  the  bird  fell  to  the  ground. 

The  old  woman  was  very  angry  when  she  saw  that  the 
door  didn't  stop  trembling  after  Okteondo11  had  slammed 
it  in  going  out.  She  pushed  the  door  to,  but  her  daughter 
kept  it  moving,  unknown  to  her. 

When  Okteondo11  went  in  and  threw  the  bird  on  the 
ground  saying,  "Here  is  a  feast  for  you!"  she  said,  "0, 
my  son-in-law,  you  must  give  me  one  of  the  wings  for  a 
fan,  my  old  one  is  worn  out." 

1  *  No, ' '  said  the  young  man.  ' '  You  cannot  have  a  wing, ' ' 
and  he  threw  the  bird  on  the  fire. 

Hotho,  Okteondo11 's  friend,  hung  a  kettle  over  the  fire 
and  filled  it  with  water.  As  soon  as  the  feathers  were 
burned  off  the  bird  Okteondo11  cut  it  up  and  put  the  pieces 
in  the  kettle.  When  cooked  he  took  out  the  meat  and 
skimmed  every  drop  of  fat  from  the  broth. 


42  SENECA  MYTHS 

"Now,"  said  the  old  woman,  "you  must  invite  all  the 
best  men  of  the  village  to  come  and  eat." 

"I'll  invite  whom  I  please,"  said  Okteondo11.  He  went 
out  and  shouted,  "I  invite  you  all,  O  Whirlwinds  (Dag- 
wanoe^ents),  to  a  feast." 

Soon  the  guests  began  to  come,  one  after  another.  When 
all  were  present,  Okteondo11  said,  "I  have  invited  you  to 
a  feast  at  which  everything  must  be  consumed.  You  must 
eat  the  meat,  drink  the  broth,  chew  up  and  swallow  the 
bones.  - ' 

They  finished  everything,  left  neither  a  drop  of  broth 
nor  a  bit  of  bone.  When  they  were  through  eating,  they 
laughed  and  said,  ' i  The  flesh  of  the  old  woman 's  husband 
made  a  good  meal." 

The  woman  was  raving.  She  took  a  pounder  and  struck 
the  guests.  They  flew  up  through  the  smoke-hole  and  off 
as  fast  as  they  could.  One  of  them  made  a  great  rent  in 
the  side  of  the  house  as  he  rushed  through. 

When  she  had  driven  the  guests  out  and  the  house  was 
clear,  the  old  woman  said,  "I  think  the  night  is  going 
to  be  cold,  I  must  go  for  wood." 

She  brought  wood,  made  a  great  fire,  and  said,  "Now 
I  will  warm  my  back."  Then  she  went  to  sleep  with  her 
back  to  the  fire. 

Okteondo11  's  wife  said,  "My  mother  will  dream  again 
to-night,  and  will  say,  'I  dreamed  that  my  son-in-law  was 
to  kill  the  white  beaver  and  bring  it  here  before  the  door, 
that  he  slams  when  going  out,  stops  moving.  If  he  doesn  't 
get  back  before  the  door  stops  moving,  something  bad  will 
happen.'  " 

Late  in  the  night  the  young  man  heard  his  mother-in-law 
groaning.  She  rolled  around,  threw  the  wood  from  its 
place  on  the  fire  and  scattered  the  coals. 

He  jumped  up,  took  the  corn-pounder,  hit  the  old  woman 
on  the  head,  and  said,  "You  must  be  dreaming  about  me, 
Mother-in-law. ' ' 

"Yes,  I  was  dreaming  about  you,  and  I  am  afraid  some- 
thing bad  may  happen,  but  you  are  powerful.  The  dream 
says  that  my  son-in-law  is  to  kill  the  white  beaver,  and  if 
the  door  that  he  slams  behind  him  stops  trembling  before 
he  comes  back,  something  bad  will  happen." 


OKTEONDO  AND  HIS  UNCLE         43 

"Go  to  sleep,  Mother-in-law,  that  is  nothing.' ' 
In  the  morning  the  young  man  fastened  the  cord  made 
of  his  wife's  hair  to  the  door  and  told  her  to  keep  the 
door  moving  while  he  was  gone.  Then  he  went  out  and 
running  to  a  knoll  where  there  was  a  butter-nut  tree,  he 
took  a  nut  from  the  tree  and  hurried  to  the  lake.  He 
threw  the  nut  into  the  water,  and  said,  "You  who  live  in 
this  lake,  come  out." 

The  water  rose  up  and  rushed  after  him  till  he  reached 
the  knoll  where  the  butter-nut  tree  was,  there  it  stopped. 
Okteondo11  saw  the  white  beaver  looking  out  of  the  water. 
He  drew  his  bow,  killed  the  beaver,  seized  the  body  and 
hurried  home. 

When  he  reached  the  door,  the  old  woman  was  trying  to 
hold  it  still  and  was  repeating  every  word  that  had  power 
to  stop  it. 

When  the  young  man  threw  the  beaver  into  the  house, 
she  said,  "My  son-in-law,  you  must  make  me  a  pouch  of 
this  skin." 

"Oh,  no!  I'll  do  what  I  like  with  it,"  said  he,  and  he 
threw  the  beaver  into  the  fire.  H6tho  put  on  a  kettle, 
prepared  everything  and  when  the  water  was  boiling',  he 
put  the  beaver  into  the  kettle  and  cooked  it.  Then  the  old 
woman  said, ' '  Son-in-law,  I  want  you  to  invite  all  the  chief 
men  of  this  place  to  the  feast." 

"I  will  invite  such  men  as  I  like,"  said  Okteondo11. 

When  the  beaver  was  cooked,  he  took  out  the  pieces  of 
meat  and  cooled  them,  then  going  outside  he  called  loudly, 
"I  invite  all  you  Whirlwinds  to  come  to  a  feast." 

They  came  and  when  all  were  there  Okteondo"  said, 
"You  must  eat  everything  to  the  end.  Here  is  meat,  broth 
and  bones.    You  must  eat  all,  and  lick  the  bowls." 

They  ate  the  meat,  swallowed  the  fat  and  drank  the 
broth,  then  the  crunching  of  bones  could  be  heard.  Last 
of  all  they  licked  the  bark  bowls. 

When  they  had  finished  and  were  satisfied,  they  began 
to  laugh.  "Hi;  hi;  hi!"  said  they.  "The  flesh  of  the 
old  woman's  brother  has  made  us  a  good  meal." 

The  old  woman  was  terribly  angry.  She  ran  at  them 
with  the  corn-pounder  and  drove  them  out  of  the  house. 

After  the  feast  Okteondo11 's  wife  said,  "There  is  one 


44  SENECA   MYTHS 

more  trial,  the  worst  of  all.  My  mother  will  say  to-night, 
'I  dreamed  that  my  son-in-law  was  killed  and  skinned  and 
I  made  a  pouch  of  his  skin.'  " 

Okteondo11  said,  ' '  When  she  kills  and  skins  me  and  puts 
my  flesh  in  a  bowl,  take  the  bowl  and  place  it  on  the  top 
of  the  house." 

Towards  night  the  old  woman  said,  "The  sky  is  clear, 
we  will  have  a  cold  night,  I  must  get  logs  and  make  a 
big  fire." 

She  made  a  great  fire  and  in  the  night  began  to  groan 
and  throw  the  logs  and  fire  about.  Okteondo11  jumped 
up,  struck  her  on  the  head  with  the  corn-pounder,  and 
said,  "Mother-in-law,  what  is  the  trouble,  what  are  you 
dreaming  about?" 

1 '  I  dreamed  that  I  killed  you  and  made  a  pouch  of  your 
skin." 

"Go  to  sleep,  we  will  see  to  that  in  the  morning." 

The  next  morning  the  young  man  said,  "Now,  Mother- 
in-law,  I  am  ready." 

The  old  woman  put  a  large  piece  of  bark  on  the  ground 
and  told  'him  to  lie  on  it.  He  lay  down,  she  struck  him 
on  the  head  and  killed  him.  Then  she  took  off  his  skin, 
leaving  his  hands  and  feet  on  the  skin,  and  cutting  up 
the  flesh  put  it  into  a  bark  bowl.  As  soon  as  Okteondo11  's 
wife  saw  her  put  in  the  last  piece,  she  took  the  bowl  and 
placed  it  on  the  top  of  the  house. 

The  old  woman  sewed  up  the  skin  in  the  form  of  a 
pouch  and  distended  it  by  blowing.  Then  she  hung  it 
over  the  fire  and  poked  the  fire  to  make  it  blaze.  The 
pouch  swayed  to  and  fro  over  the  fire  and  the  old  woman 
sang,  "Oh,  what  a  nice  pouch  have  I,  no  woman  living 
has  such  a  pouch!" 

Each  time  she  punched  the  fire,  the  pouch  swayed  more 
quickly  to  and  fro.  At  last  it  began  to  sing,  "Oh,  if  the 
wind  were  out  of  me!"  She  poked  and  poked  the  fire 
and  the  pouch  swayed  faster  and  faster.  "What  a  beau- 
tiful pouch  I  have,"  said  she,  "it  even  sings." 

After  a  while  the  pouch  made  a  noise:  "Sho!"  and 
went  out  through  the  smoke-hole. 

As  it  went  the  old  woman  cried,  "Oh,  I've  lost  my 
pouch,  I've  lost  my  pouch!    It  has  run  away  from  me!" 


OKTEONDO  AND  HIS  UNCLE         45 

She  hurried  to  the  door,  but  in  going  out  she  met  her 
son-in-law  coming  in  alive  and  well. 

That  night  Okteondo11  had  a  dream;  he  groaned  and 
rolled  around  till  the  old  woman  got  up  and  hit  him  with 
the  corn-pounder,  saying,  "Wake  up!" 

"I  had  a  dream,"  said  he. 

"What  was  it?"  asked  the  old  woman. 

"I  dreamed  that  I  must  kill  the  Ancient  of  Bears  and 
have  a  feast  and  invite  all  the  people  in  the  village." 

The  next  morning  the  young  man  killed  the  Ancient  of 
Bears. 

Hotho  got  the  kettle  ready  and  when  the  flesh  of  the 
bear  was  cooked  Okteondo11  said  to  his  wife  and  the  two 
friends,  who  had  come  with  him  from  his  uncle's  place, 
4  *  You  must  go  out  of  the  house. ' ' 

They  went  out  and  the  new  company  came  in:  the  old 
woman  and  her  other  daughters  and  the  people  of  the 
place.  Okteondo11  said,  "Here  is  flesh,  fat,  and  bones. 
You  must  eat  all  that  is  placed  before  you  and  clean  the 
bowls." 

The  chief  of  the  people  said,  "We  have  everything  here 
before  us.    Now  eat." 

Okteondo11  went  out  and  ran  around  the  house;  while 
running  he  said,  "Let  this  house  become  stone,  and  the 
ground  under  it  be  stone,  so  that  the  greatest  wizard 
couldn't  get  out,  and  let  the  house  become  red  hot." 

While  the  people  were  eating  and  drinking  and  saying, 
"Ho,  ho,  this  is  a  great  feast,"  the  house  began  to  grow 
hot.  Someone  spoke  up  so  loudly  that  he  was  heard  out- 
side, and  said,  "Let  us  get  out  of  here  as  quickly  as  we 
can.    Something  is  wrong." 

They  all  tried  to  get  out,  but  couldn't.  One  jumped 
up  to  where  the  smoke-hole  had  been,  and  those  outside 
heard  him  knock  his  head  against  solid  stone  and  fall  back. 
Another  said,  * '  I  will  go  out  through  the  ground. ' ' 

After  a  while  the  voices  and  screams  inside  the  house 
died  down;  and  all  was  quiet. 

The  house  cracked  open,  the  heads  of  the  people  burst, 
one  after  another,  and  out  of  them  came  screech  owls, 
horned  owls,  and  gray  and  red  foxes,  and  all  rushed  out 
of  sight. 


46  SENECA  MYTHS 

The  people  of  the  old  woman's  village  were  man-eaters. 
The  sisters  sailed  around  everywhere  in  their  canoe,  deceiv- 
ing men  and  luring  them  to  that  village  to  be  devoured. 
All  the  sisters,  except  Okteondo11 's  wife  were  burned  up 
with  the  old  woman  and  the  man-eaters. 

The  young  man  and  his  wife  went  to  the  lake  shore 
where  they  found  a  great  pile  of  bones;  they  gathered 
them  up,  put  them  under  a  large  hickory  tree,  then  pushed 
the  tree  and  called  out,  ''Rise  up,  or  the  tree  will  fall  on 
you!" 

At  this  call  the  bones  sprang  up  living  men,  and  each 
man  went  to  his  own  home. 

"We  will  go  home  too,"  said  the  young  man  to  his  wife, 
and  they  went  to  the  house  of  his  uncle,  Haienthwus. 

When  Okteondo11  went  away  his  uncle  hung  up  a  belt, 
and  said,  "The  deeper  you  are  in  trouble  the  nearer  this 
belt  will  come  to  the  ground,  if  you  die  it  will  touch  the 
ground. '  • 

The  belt  had  touched  the  ground  and  the  old  man  had 
mourned,  but  now  it  was  up  again. 

While  his  nephew  was  away,  many  persons  had  come  to 
the  door  pretending  to  be  Okteondo11  and  had  deceived  the 
old  man.  Now  when  his  nephew  knocked,  he  said,  "Put 
your  arm  through  the  hole  in  the  door."  He  did  so.  The 
old  man  tied  it  there  firmly,  then  said,  "Now,  I  have  got 
you!"  and  he  opened  the  door  to  strike  whoever  was  out- 
side, but  seeing  Okteondo11  and  his  wife  he  said,  "Oh,  my 
nephew,  wait  a  minute  till  I  clean  up  a  bit."  He  brushed 
away  the  ashes  and  then  he  welcomed  his  nephew. 

The  narrator  said  that  this  story  described  winter  trying 
to  delay  spring. 


A  BATTLE  BETWEEN  FROST  AND 
WHIELWIND 

,[Told  by  Peter  White] 


Characters 


DAGWANOEnYENT  gowa Whirlwind  or  Cyclone 

Geno°skwa  Frost  and  Cold 

Hadiqsado11  GENOnSKWA  Ganyudai, 

The  Grave  of  Frost,  or  the  so-called  Stone  Coats 


DAGWANOEnYENT  (Whirlwind),  an  old  woman,  the 
oldest  of  all  her  people,  lived  in  the  forest  with  her 
two  grandchildren,  a  boy  and  a  girl. 

One  day  when  the  grandmother  was  out  digging  roots  a 
Genodskwa  (Frost  and  Great  Cold)  woman  came  to  the 
cabin,  picked  up  the  little  girl  and,  after  speaking  kindly, 
telling  her  she  was  a  nice  little  thing,  swallowed  her. 

Then  she  began  to  talk  to  the  boy.  Sitting  down  by 
him,  she  said,  "Get  on  to  my  back  and  I  will  carry  you  to 
where  your  grandmother  is  digging  roots.' ' 

The  boy  did  as  Genoqskwa  told  him  to,  but  he  was 
frightened,  and  he  clung  to  her  so  tightly  that  he  became 
fastened  to  her  back,  and  couldn't  get  off,  though  he  tried 
hard. 

GENOnSKWA  started  off,  but  in  a  different  direction  from 
where  the  boy's  grandmother  was.  When  the  boy  told 
her  she  was  going  the  wrong  way,  she  said,  "No,  I  am 
not,  we  will  soon  come  to  where  she  is  at  work." 

The  woman  went  far  into  the  forest  and  the  boy  began 
to  cry  for  his  grandmother.     He  cried  so  hard  and  loud 

47 


48  SENECA   MYTHS 

that  GENOnSKWA  told  him  to  get  off  of  her  back.  She 
didn't  like  to  hear  him  cry,  and  she  thought  it  was  best 
to  eat  him  at  once. 

He  couldn't  get  off  and  she  couldn't  put  her  hands 
around  to  pull  him  off,  nor  turn  her  head  to  bite  him. 

When  the  boy  saw  that  she  couldn't  harm  him  if  he 
stayed  where  he  was,  he  clung  all  the  tighter  and  stopped 
trying  to  get  away. 

When  the  grandmother  came  home  and  found  that  the 
boy  and  girl  were  not  in  the  cabin,  she  was  frightened 
and  began  to  search  for  them.  After  a  while  she  came 
upon  the  tracks  of  the  GENOnsKWA  woman  and  then  she 
knew  who  had  stolen  the  children  and  she  followed  the 
tracks,  thinking  she  would  soon  overtake  the  thief. 

The  woman  was  tired  of  the  boy  and  tried  in  every  way 
to  free  herself  of  him.  She  rubbed  him  against  hickory 
trees  and  against  rocks.  He  said,  "Oh,  I  like  that,  rub 
harder."     She  stopped  then  and  traveled  on. 

The  grandmother  followed  in  the  form  of  a  Whirlwind. 
Genodskwa  said  to  the  boy,  "Your  grandmother  is  com- 
ing.   She  will  kill  us  both.     Get  off  of  my  back." 

The  boy  kept  still,  didn't  answer.  The  woman  looked 
around  for  a  hiding  place  and  found  one  in  a  deep  ravine. 
She  dug  a  hole,  went  into  it  and  covered  herself  with  the 
earth  that  slipped  down  from  above.  When  she  heard 
Whirlwind  coming  nearer  and  nearer  she  asked  the  boy, 
"Can  you  hear  your  grandmother  coming?" 

He  didn't  answer. 

When  Whirlwind  rushed  over  the  place  where  the  woman 
lay,  the  boy  shouted  to  her.  She  heard  him  and,  changing 
her  course,  came  straight  to  where  they  were.  When  she 
asked  the  boy  if  he  was  there,  the  woman  told  him  to 
keep  still,  but  he  called  out,  "lam  here ! ' ' 

Whirlwind  blew  the  earth  from  the  hiding  place  and 
shouted,  " Dagwanoe^ent,  get  off  of  Genodskwa's  back!" 
That  instant  the  boy  slipped  off  and  went  among  the 
rocks.  The  old  woman  hurled  stones  at  the  Geno3skwa, 
tore  off  her  clothes  and  killed  her.  Then  she  took  her 
grandson  and  started  for  home. 

On  the  way,  she  said  to  him,  "Never  let  yourself  be 
treated  in  that  manner  again.     Never  let  anyone  abuse 


FROST   AND    WHIRLWIND  49 

you.    You  can  conquer  everybody  if  you  use  your  power, 
for  you  are  of  the  Whirlwind  family." 

The  old  woman  stayed  at  home  for  a  time,  caring  for 
her  grandson. 

Meanwhile  some  of  the  G£NonSKWA  woman's  people 
found  her  trail  and  followed  it  till  they  came  to  where  her 
body  was.  They  asked  who  had  killed  her  and  her  spirit 
answered,  " Whirlwind  killed  me."  Right  away  the 
G^nouskwa  men  decided  to  kill  old  woman  Whirlwind. 

Whirlwind,  out  on  one  of  her  journeys,  discovered  their 
plans.  She  went  home  and  said  to  her  grandson,  ''We 
must  get  your  sister  out  of  Genodskwa,s  stomach,  she  is 
sitting  there  and  crying  for  me." 

They  set  out  and  when  they  reached  the  place  where 
the  body  lay,  the  old  grandmother  built  a  fire  and  began 
to  burn  tobacco,  saying,  "This  is  what  we  like!  This  is 
what  we  like!"  She  burned  half  a  pouchful  and  pushed 
the  smoke  toward  the  body,  repeating,  "This  is  what  we 
like."  Then  she  called,  "My  grandchild,  come  out  of 
GENOnSKWA  's  body ! ' ' 

When  the  girl  didn't  come,  the  old  woman  said  to  her 
grandson,  "We  must  have  people  come  and  help  us.  We 
have  many  relatives,  uncles,  aunts,  and  cousins,  we  will 
call  them."  Then  she  called  each  relative  by  name,  and 
one  after  another  they  came.  They  built  a  fire  at  G£- 
nodskwa's  head,  and  burned  tobacco,  as  they  walked 
around  the  fire  each  threw  in  tobacco,  saying,  "Ne  vonoes, 
ne  vonoes"  (This  is  what  we  like). 

When  the  last  one  had  thrown  in  tobacco,  the  girl, 
panting  for  breath,  came  out  and  asked,  "How  long  have 
I  been  here  ? ' '  She  was  very  weak.  They  gave  her  tobacco 
smoke  and  she  inhaled  it  till  she  gained  strength,  then  all 
the  Whirlwinds  went  home. 

When  the  old  woman  and  her  grandchildren  had  been 
at  home  some  time  a  Genodskwa  woman  came  to  the  cabin, 
she  talked  pleasantly,  found  out  there  were  only  three 
persons  there  and  left  thinking  it  would  be  a  small  task 
to  kill  them. 

After  the  woman  had  gone,  Whirlwind  said  to  her  grand- 
children, "We  are  in  trouble  now.  A  great  number  of 
those  people  will  come  against  us.     They  have  assembled 


50  SENECA    MYTHS 

somewhere  nearby.  When  the  struggle  begins  I  don't 
know  that  we  will  be  able  to  come  home  again. ' '  She  went 
out  and  called,  ' '  Dagwanoedyent  gowa!  Dagwanoe^ent 
gowa!" 

The  girl  asked,  "  Grandmother,  what  are  you  doing  V 

"I  am  calling  our  relatives,"  answered  the  old  woman. 

The  Whirlwinds  came,  one  by  one,  when  all  were  there, 
the  old  woman  said,  "Each  one  of  you  must  have  a  big 
round  stone  to  strike  with." 

They  had  just  picked  up  the  stones  when  the  Genods- 
kwas  began  to  come;  there  were  thousands  and  thousands 
of  them. 

The  Whirlwinds  were  frightened  when  they  saw  how 
strong  the  enemy  was.  The  old  woman  said,  "We  must 
separate  and  fight  singly.  Keep  the  stones  in  your  hands. 
Be  firm  and  have  faith  that  you  will  kill  one  man  with 
each  blow  you  strike." 

The  Whirlwinds  went  in  different  directions;  the 
Genodskwas  chased  them. 

The  Whirlwinds  struck  whenever  they  had  the  chance 
and  kept  retreating,  they  went  up  a  high  mountain,  fight- 
ing as  they  went.  The  old  woman  said,  "When  we  all 
reach  the  top  we  will  go  down  a  short  distance  on  the 
other  side.  When  the  Genodskwas  come  to  the  top  we 
will  strike  them  on  the  east  and  on  the  west,  some  of  us 
will  get  behind  them  and  drive  them  over  the  mountain 
and  into  the  deep  ravine  on  the  other  side,  they  will  die 
there  for  a  river  runs  through  the  ravine  and  they  cannot 
cross  it." 

The  Geno°skwas  came  to  the  top  of  the  mountain  and 
seeing  nothing  of  the  Whirlwinds,  thought  they  had  es- 
caped. They  stood  and  listened.  Soon  they  heard  wind 
on  each  side  of  them.  The  sound  grew  louder  and  louder 
and  right  away  the  Dagwanoedyents  struck  them  on  both 
sides  and,  uniting  in  the  rear,  struck  them  from  behind. 
So  fierce  was  the  attack  and  power  of  the  Whirlwinds  that 
they  tore  out  all  the  trees  by  their  roots,  swept  the  earth 
from  the  top  of  the  mountain  and  hurled  trees  and  earth 
into  the  ravine  and  river  below.  The  Genodskwas  were 
piled  up,  like  rocks,  in  the  river  and  along  the  banks. 

The  Whirlwinds  were  dancing  and  rejoicing  on  the  top 


FROST   AND    WHIRLWIND  51 

of  the  mountain  when  the  old  woman  said,  "We  have 
hurled  our  enemies  into  the  ravine,  now  we  will  finish 
them.  Half  of  you  go  along  the  ridges  east  of  the  river 
and  the  other  half  go  along  the  western  ridges  and  blow 
all  the  trees  and  rocks  and  earth  into  the  ravine.' ' 

They  went,  and  when  they  came  together  again  they 
had  stripped  the  mountain  spurs  naked  and  filled  up  the 
ravine.  The  river  had  no  outlet;  it  became  a  great  lake 
and  ever  after  was  called,  "The  grave  of  the  G£noqs- 


H6TH0  conquers  shagodyoweg  gowa 


Characters 


Hotho Cold  Weather  (Winter) 

Shagodyoweg  gowa, 

The  Great  One  who  protects  us  (Wind  People) 
(The  sisters  personify  Spring) 


A  MOTHER  and  her  two  daughters  lived  in  an  opening 
in  the  woods.  When  the  daughters  became  women 
the  mother  said,  "You  must  marry.  Make  twenty  loaves 
of  green  corn  bread,  tie  up  the  bread  in  husks  and  go  to 
the  house  of  two  brothers,  who  live  not  far  from  here. 
Their  house  has  a  partition;  you,  my  elder  daughter,  go 
in  at  the  first  door  and  say  to  the  man,  'This  is  marriage 
bread,  I  have  come  here  to  be  your  wife. '  You,  my  younger 
daughter,  go  in  at  the  other  door  and  say  to  the  man,  '  This 
is  marriage  bread,  I  have  come  here  to  be  your  wife. '  The 
brothers  will  take  your  bread  and  tell  you  to  stay. 

"Before  you  come  to  the  house  a  trail  branches  off. 
Be  sure  to  keep  the  straight  trail/ ' 

The  sisters  started.  When  they  came  to  the  branch  trail 
they  mistook  it  for  the  straight  one  and  followed  it  till 
they  came  to  a  bark  house.  Looking  in  through  a  crack 
they  saw  a  number  of  men,  Shagodyoweg  gowas,  and  were 
so  frightened  that  they  ran  toward  home. 

The  men  followed.  When  they  were  near,  one  of  the 
sisters  threw  down  her  basket  of  bread.  The  men  stopped, 
ate  the  bread,  then  followed  again.  The  second  sister  put 
down  her  basket. 

52 


SHAGODYWEG    GOWA  53 

Piece  by  piece  the  sisters  threw  off  their  clothes,  the 
pursuers  stopped  and  examined  each  piece.  In  this  way 
the  girls  kept  a  little  ahead  and  finally  reached  home. 

4 'You  didn't  do  as  I  told  you,"  said  the  mother,  "you 
must  try  again." 

They  made  bread  and  the  next  morning  started  again. 
This  time  they  reached  the  right  house.  The  elder  sister 
went  in  at  the  first  door  and  placing  her  basket  of  bread 
before  the  man  said,  "I  have  come  here  to  be  your  wife." 
He  ate  the  bread,  and  thanked  her. 

The  younger  sister  went  in  at  the  second  door,  placed 
her  basket  in  front  of  the  man,  and  said,  "I  have  come 
here  to  be  your  wife."  He  ate  the  bread,  and  thanked 
her. 

In  the  morning  one  of  the  brothers  called,  through  the 
partition,  to  the  other,  "I  am  up." 

1  'So  am  I,"  answered  the  other. 

"We  are  eating." 

"So  are  we." 

"I  am  going  to  hunt." 

"So  ami." 

Before  starting,  each  brother  said  to  his  wife,  "You 
must  stay  in  the  house  ten  days.  If  you  don't,  our  brother, 
Shagodyoweg  gowa,  may  come  and  carry  you  away." 

For  nine  days  the  sisters  stayed  indoors,  then  the 
younger  said,  "It  is  bright  and  pleasant,  let  us  sit  outside 
a  little  while." 

The  elder  sister  consented  and  they  sat  down  near  the 
house,  but  they  hadn't  been  there  long  when  Shagodyoweg 
came.  The  sisters  didn't  see  him  as  he  was  and  when  he 
asked  them  to  come  and  eat  with  him  they  went. 

When  the  men  came  home  and  didn't  find  their  wives 
they  knew  that  their  brother  had  captured  them.  The 
elder  brother  went  to  Shagodyoweg,  and  said,  "I  have 
come  to  ask  you  to  give  us  our  wives;  watch  over  them, 
but  let  them  stay  with  us." 

At  last  he  consented  and  the  women  went  home  with 
their  husbands. 

H6tho  (Cold  Weather)  was  a  brother  of  these  men 
and  lived  not  far  away.  H6tho  always  went  naked,  his 
only  weapon  was  a  hatchet  that  he  carried  in  a  hole  in  his 


54  SENECA    MYTHS 

hip.  It  is  H6tho  who,  in  winter,  makes  the  trees  crack 
with  such  a  loud  noise ;  he  is  striking  them  with  his  hatchet. 

The  two  brothers  went  to  Hotho  and  asked  him  to  pro- 
tect their  wives. 

Some  time  after  this,  the  two  again  went  hunting. 
Shagodyoweg  gowa  came  to  the  house  and  said  to  the 
sisters,  *  ■  Come  and  eat  with  me.  You  can  eat  and  be  back 
in  a  little  while.'' 

Not  seeing  him  as  he  was  they  went.  He  took  them  to 
his  house  in  the  forest  and  shut  them  up.  The  younger 
sister  escaped  but  had  not  gone  far  when  her  brother-in- 
law  found  it  out  and  followed,  screaming  as  he  ran. 

The  woman  was  terribly  frightened  and  ran  straight  to 
H6tho.  He  said  to  her,  "Go  home,  I  will  meet  my 
brother.' ' 

They  met  and  began  a  terrible  battle.  Shagodyoweg 
gowa  fought  with  his  rattle ;  H6tho  with  his  hatchet.  As 
they  went  toward  the  East,  fighting,  they  tore  up  all  the 
trees  and  bushes.  But  at  last  Hotho  conquered  his  brother 
and  made  him  promise  not  to  steal  the  sisters  again. 


SUMMEE  KILLS  AUTUMN  AND  IS  HERSELF 
KILLED  BY  WINTER 

[Told  by  John  Armstrong] 


Characters 


Dagwanoedyent,  Whirlwind  or  Cyclone,  always  rep- 
resented as  an  immense  head 
Shagodiaqdane The  Woman  in  the  South 

DonWEnWA 

Shagodyoweg  gowa,  God  of  the  Air  (Wind  People) 


THERE  was  a  man  called  DonWEnWA.  This  man 
wouldn  't  let  anyone  come  into  his  house.  He  had  two 
nephews  old  enough  to  hunt  small  game:  birds,  squirrels 
and  coons.  The  boys  lived  in  a  house  near  their  uncle's 
and  each  morning  he  called  to  them,  saying,  "Up,  boys! 
or  the  game  will  be  gone.',  The  boys  jumped  up  and 
were  off. 

One  day  the  younger  boy  heard  something  making  a 
noise.  He  listened  and  listened  and  at  last  found  that  the 
noise  came  from  the  ground.  He  ran  to  his  brother,  and 
said,  "Come  and  help  me  dig.  I  hear  a  noise  down  in 
the  ground." 

The  brother  went  to  the  place  with  him  and  they  began 
to  dig  with  sharp  sticks.  When  they  got  down  some  dis- 
tance they  found  a  hollow  and  in  it  a  little  child. 

"This  is  the  best  luck  we've  had  yet,"  said  the  elder 

55 


56  SENECA    MYTHS 

boy.  "This  will  be  our  brother,  but  I'm  afraid  our  uncle 
will  find  out  about  him;  if  he  does  he'll  kill  him  and  eat 
him." 

"We'll  try  to  save  him,  we'll  fix  it  so  our  uncle  won't 
find  him,"  said  the  younger  boy. 

They  carried  the  child  home.  That  night  the  uncle 
woke  up,  stretched  himself,  and  said,  ' '  I  think  my  nephews 
have  found  game,  I  hear  it  breathing.  I'll  go  and  ask 
them."  He  stuck  his  head  in  at  their  door,  and  asked, 
"Well,  boys,  have  you  any  game?" 

1 '  No, ' '  answered  the  younger  brother. 

"I  hear  it  breathing." 

1 '  How  can  you  tell  ?    There  are  two  of  us  here. p ' 

"I  hear  three  breathing." 

"If  you  know  there  are  three,  you  may  as  well  kill  us." 

"Our  people  don't  allow  a  man  to  kill  his  nephews." 

"Well,  you'll  not  kill  our  brother,"  said  the  younger 
nephew.    ' '  If  you  kill  him  you  must  kill  us. ' ' 

The  old  man  went  home,  but  came  back  and  stuck  his 
head  in  again.  "You  might  as  well  give  me  that  boy," 
said  he. 

"If  you  kill  him,  you'll  kill  us,"  answered  the  elder 
nephew. 

When  the  old  man  found  that  his  nephews  wouldn't 
give  him  the  child,  he  promised  not  to  harm  it. 

All  went  well  for  a  time,  then  the  younger  brother  said, 
"I  think  we  had  better  go  away  and  leave  our  uncle." 

"We  can't  leave  him,"  said  the  elder. 

"Why  can't  we?" 

"He  would  follow  us." 

"We  can  try  to  get  away.    We  are  not  safe  here." 

They  gathered  dry  sticks  and  piled  them  up  near  the 
house.  Then  one  morning  they  set  the  sticks  on  fire  and 
running  around  on  the  house  top  they  jumped  into  the 
smoke,  and  it  carried  them  up  and  away.  After  a  while 
they  came  to  the  ground  and  hid  under  a  big  stone. 

That  night  DonWEnWA  thought  the  boys  were  very  quiet. 
He  went  to  their  house,  stuck  his  head  in  and  found  that 
they  were  gone. 

"Oh,  my  poor  nephews!"  said  he.  "They  think  they 
can  get  away  from  me." 


SUMMER    KILLS   AUTUMN  57 

He  tracked  them  to  the  top  of  the  house  and  found  that 
they  jumped  into  the  blaze  and  went  off  in  the  smoke. 
Then  he  went  straight  to  the  stone  where  they  were  and 
struck  the  stone  with  a  dadishe  (sort  of  cane).  The  stone 
split  open  and  he  found  the  three  boys. 

* '  Come  out,  boys, ' '  said  he, ' '  we  '11  go  home.  You  should 
stay  at  home,  not  try  to  go  away  from  me." 

When  the  boys  were  back  in  their  own  house  the  second 
brother  asked,  ''Haven't  we  any  relatives  except  this  old 
man?" 

"We  have,"  said  the  elder  brother.  "We  have  another 
uncle  worse  looking  and  crosser  than  this  one,  and  we 
have  aunts." 

"Can't  we  go  and  see  our  uncle?" 

"We  can,  but  we  must  ask  this  uncle  how  to  go.'* 

The  younger  brother  went  to  the  old  man,  struck  him 
with  a  mallet,  and  said,  ' '  I  want  you  to  tell  me  how  I  can 
go  and  see  my  uncle  in  the  East?" 

"You  have  no  uncle  in  the  East." 

"Yes,  I  have." 

"You  have  no  uncle  there,  or  if  you  have  he  is  very 
cross.  He  is  Hatdedases  (Whirlwind  maker).  He'll  kill 
us  all  if  he  comes  here.  But  you  can  go  and  see  him  if 
you  are  able  to  draw  a  bow  that  I  will  make  for  you." 

The  old  man  made  a  strong  bow  and  a  big  double-headed 
arrow  and  told  his  nephews  to  try  it.  The  elder  brother 
took  the  bow  first  and  couldn't  bend  it;  the  younger 
brother  bent  it  easily.  Then  the  uncle  gave  him  the  arrow, 
and  said,  pointing  to  a  great  hickory  tree,  "Shoot  that." 
He  shot  and  the  arrow  split  the  tree. 

Then  the  old  man  said,  "That  will  do.  You  may  go 
and  try  to  see  your  Uncle  Dagwanoedyent  (or  Hatde^ 
dases).  If  he  sees  you  before  you  shoot  him,  he'll  say 
'  Ogongahgeni,'  and  fly  off.  If  you  succeed  in  shooting  him 
before  he  sees  you,  pick  up  the  arrow  and  shoot  again 
then  he'll  ask  you  what  you  want,  and  you'll  answer  'I 
want  you  to  come  and  live  with  us.  We'll  give  you  plenty 
of  rocks  and  hickory  sticks  to  eat,  and  make  you  a  nest  to 
lie  in.'" 

The  boy  started  and  after  traveling  a  long  distance 
came  to  a  place  where  he  heard  a  great  noise ;  cracking  and 


58  SENECA    MYTHS 

gnawing.  He  called  his  medicine  mole  and  told  it  to  make 
a  trail  under  the  ground  to  the  place  the  noise  came  from 
and  he  would  follow  in  the  trail. 

DAGWANOEnYENT  stopped  gnawing  and  listened;  the 
mole  stopped.  The  old  man  gnawed  again;  mole  went 
on.  A  second  time  the  old  man  stopped  and  listened; 
mole  stopped.  And  so  it  went  on  till  mole  was  straight  in 
front  of  DAGWANOEnYENT.  Then  he  made  a  hole  and  the 
boy  came  to  the  top  of  the  ground,  drew  his  bow  and  hit 
his  uncle  in  the  middle  of  the  forehead;  the  arrow  re- 
bounded, he  caught  it  and  shot  again.  The  third  time 
he  shot  DAGWANOEnYENT  called  out,  "I  give  up,  what  do 
you  want?" 

"I  want  you  to  come  and  live  with  us,  well  give  you 
plenty  of  rocks  and  hickory  sticks  to  eat  and  a  good  nest 
to  live  in.    If  you  don't  come,  I'll  shoot  you  again." 

Dagwanoedyent  said,  "Go  and  fix  the  nest,  and  gather 
rocks  and  sticks  for  me  to  eat,  and  I'll  come." 

The  boy  went  home  and  he  and  his  brother  and  uncle 
put  up  a  strong  platform  and  on  top  of  it  they  made  a 
nest.  When  all  was  ready  the  old  man  came  and  settled 
on  the  nest. 

Once  when  the  two  boys  were  out  hunting  the  younger 
boy  heard  a  noise  off  in  the  South.  While  he  stood  listen- 
ing, a  False  Face  ran  toward  him.  The  boy  was  fright- 
ened; he  darted  around  trees  and  tried  to  get  away.  At 
last,  when  he  was  getting  tired,  he  called  loudly,  "Hak- 
nose11  DonWEnWA  gadjionegaqdianh  (DonWEnWA,  if  you 
don't  come,  I  shall  be  killed)." 

That  minute  DonWEnWA  was  there,  and  saying,  "I'll 
save  you,"  he  struck  False  Face  with  his  onwe  and  killed 
him. 

Now  the  old  man  told  his  nephews  never  to  go  toward 
the  South,  that  in  the  South  there  were  bad  women,  who 
would  kill  them. 

After  a  time  the  elder  nephew  thought  he  would  go 
toward  the  South  and  see  if  anything  would  happen  to 
him.  When  he  had  traveled  a  long  distance,  he  heard 
some  one  singing,  and,  going  toward  the  voice,  through 
the  dense  woods,  he  came  to  an  opening,  and  at  the 
farther  end   of  the  opening   saw  the  singer.     Her  song 


SUMMER    KILLS   AUTUMN  59 

said,  "A  young  boy  is  coming  for  me.  He  has  no  power; 
he  can't  come  where  I  am." 

When  the  boy  heard  this  he  was  angry,  and  said,  "She 
isn't  strong  enough  to  keep  me  back,  I'll  go  there  and 
pound  her." 

He  doubled  up  his  fist  and  ran  toward  the  woman.  She 
didn't  look  up,  kept  on  singing.  When  he  came  to  where 
she  was  sitting,  he  struck  her  a  heavy  blow,  but  instead 
of  falling  over,  she  said,  "Ha!  ha!  who  touches  me?" 
That  minute  the  boy  fell  to  the  ground  dead. 

The  woman  straightened  out  the  body  and  talked  to 
it,  saying,  "Poor  boy,  you  thought  you  could  kill  me, 
now  you  are  dead."  She  pushed  the  body  a  little  to  one 
side  and  kept  on  singing. 

When  the  boy  didn't  come  home,  his  brother  went  to 
hunt  for  him.  He  tracked  him  till  he  came  to  where  he 
had  stood  and  listened  to  the  singing.  He  heard  the  same 
song  and  looking  across  the  opening  saw  the  woman  and 
his  brother's  body.  He  was  angry  and  doubling  up  his 
fist  he  ran  across  the  opening  and  struck  the  woman  a 
heavy  blow  on  her  head. 

4 ■■ Ha,  ha !  Who  touches  me?"  growled  she.  That  minute 
the  boy  fell  to  the  ground,  dead.  She  straightened  out  the 
body  and  kept  on  singing. 

The  third  boy,  the  boy  the  brothers  had  dug  out  of  the 
ground,  went  to  look  for  the  other  two  and  was  killed 
as  they  had  been. 

That  night  DonwEnWA  wondered  why  he  heard  no  breath- 
ing at  the  other  house,  wondered  if  the  boys  had  run 
away  again.  Going  to  the  house  he  stuck  his  head  in  and 
seeing  no  one,  said,  "They  can't  get  away  from  me,  I'll 
find  them,  wherever  they  are." 

The  next  morning  he  went  toward  the  South  till  he 
came  to  the  place  where  the  boys  stood  and  listened  to 
the  woman's  song.  When  he  saw  the  woman  and  the 
three  bodies  he  said,  "You've  killed  my  nephews,  now 
I'll  kill  you!"  And  running  to  the  woman  he  gave  her 
a  terrible  blow  and  before  she  had  a  chance  to  say  anything 
he  gave  her  a  second  and  a  third  blow;  but  then  she  got 
a  chance  to  call  out,  ' '  Ha !  ha !  who  touches  me  ? ' '  and  that 
instant  the  old  man  grew  weak  and  died. 


60  SENECA    MYTHS 

Now  Dagwanoedyent  missed  his  brother  and  nephews. 
"My  brother,"  said  he,  "thinks  that  he  has  great  power, 
but  he  hasn't,  maybe  he  has  been  killed  by  that  woman  in 
the  South,  I'll  go  and  find  him." 

He  followed  the  tracks  of  his  nephews  and  brother 
till  he  came  to  the  clearing  and  saw  the  woman  sitting 
on  the  ground  singing.  He  flew  at  her  and  struck  such 
a  heavy  blow  that  she  had  no  chance  to  speak,  he  hit  her 
a  second  and  third  blow  then  his  hair  began  to  fall  out, — 
his  strength  was  in  his  long  hair — but  he  kept  striking. 
The  woman  had  no  chance  to  speak  and  at  last  he  killed 
her.  Then  he  called  to  his  brother  and  nephews,  "Get 
up,  you  ought  to  be  ashamed  to  lie  there." 

The  four  came  to  life  and  went  home.  They  lived  on 
quietly  for  a  while,  then  the  younger  brother  said  that  he 
was  going  to  travel  around  the  world  and  see  what  he 
could  find,  and  he  started  off  toward  the  East.  After 
traveling  some  distance,  he  saw  a  hut  and  going  into  it 
found  an  old  blind  man,  and  began  to  torment  him. 

The  old  man  said,  "My  brothers  will  come  soon  and 
then  you'll  stop  abusing  me." 

The  boy  thought  he  would  go  before  the  other  men 
came.  He  spent  the  night  under  a  tree  and  the  next  day 
he  traveled  till  nearly  sundown,  then  came  to  a  house. 
There  was  an  old  man  in  the  house,  who  said,  "I'm  glad 
you  have  come;  I  want  to  gamble  with  plum  stones." 

"What  will  you  bet?"  asked  the  boy. 

"I  always  bet  heads.  If  you  beat  me,  you'll  cut  off  my 
head;  if  I  beat,  I'll  cut  off  your  head." 

The  old  man  had  a  stone  bowl  and  some  plum  stones. 
The  boy  threw  first,  and  lost,  then  the  old  man  threw  and 
lost,  but  in  the  end  the  boy  won,  and  cut  off  the  old  man's 
head ;  then  he  went  on.  Soon  he  saw  a  wasp 's  nest  hang- 
ing from  the  limb  of  a  tree.  He  stopped  up  the  hole  in 
the  nest,  and  cutting  off  the  limb  carried  it  along  with 
him  in  a  bundle.  He  hadn't  gone  far  when  he  saw  a 
great  many  people  coming  toward  him.  He  wanted  to 
pass  them  but  they  caught  hold  of  him,  and  said  "You 
are  only  a  boy.     We  are  going  to  kill  you." 

"You  must  wait  a  while,"  said  the  boy.  "When  any- 
one is  going  to  be  killed  it  is  the  custom  to  let  him  do 


SUMMER    KILLS   AUTUMN  61 

something  first.' '     He   put   down  his  bundle,   and   said, 
"Tear  it  open  if  you  want  to." 

They  snatched  up  the  bundle  and  tore  it  open.  The 
wasps  flew  at  them,  and  in  the  excitement  they  forgot  the 
boy,  who  ran  off  as  fast  as  he  could,  and  this  time  he  ran 
toward  home.  When  he  came  in  sight  of  his  uncle's  house 
things  looked  strange;  he  didn't  see  Dagwanoedyent's 
nest.  Then  he  found  that  his  uncles  and  brothers  were 
gone.  He  searched  for  tracks  and  finding  none  he  began 
to  mourn  and  he  mourned  till  at  last  he  changed  to  a  red 
fox. 

The  woman  in  the  South  was  Summer,  the  boys  Autumn 
and  old  Cyclone,  who  at  last  conquered  her  was  Winter. 


GEHA,  THE  FEIEND  OF  A  DESEETED  BOY 


Character 
Geha Wind 


A  PARTY  of  Senecas  went  hunting.  When  they  had 
killed  many  deer  and  were  ready  to  go  home,  they 
didn't  know  what  to  do  with  a  little  boy  whose  father  and 
mother  had  died  while  they  had  been  in  the  forest. 

The  hunters  had  so  much  meat  they  couldn't  carry  the 
boy  and  he  couldn't  walk  so  far.  At  last  they  decided 
to  leave  him  in  the  cabin,  leaving  plenty  of  wood  and  meat. 

The  child  cried  bitterly  and  begged  to  go,  but  they  left 
him. 

When  the  hunters  reached  home  and  the  report  went 
around  that  the  child  had  been  left  in  the  woods,  every 
one  thought  it  would  die. 

After  some  days  the  chief  sent  a  man  to  see  if  the  child 
was  alive. 

As  soon  as  the  messenger  was  outside  of  the  village,  he 
changed  himself  into  a  bear. 

The  little  boy  kept  a  fire,  cooked  meat,  and  lived.  One 
cold  night  he  began  to  cry ;  the  meat  was  almost  gone  and 
the  wood  was  burned  up.  While  crying  he  heard  some  one 
come  to  the  door.  After  making  a  noise,  as  if  shaking  off 
snow,  a  man  said,  ''Little  boy,  you  think  you  are  going 
to  die,  you  are  not.  I  am  going  to  take  care  of  you. 
The  chief  has  sent  a  man  to  see  if  you  are  alive,  but  he 
will  not  be  here  for  a  long  time.  I  will  be  your  friend. 
When  you  want  me  think  of  me  and  I  will  come.,, 

62 


GEHA  63 

The  man  went  away  and  the  boy  fell  asleep.  In  the 
morning  he  found  a  pile  of  wood  at  the  door,  and  on  a 
low  limb  of  a  tree  hung  a  piece  of  deer  meat.  Now  he 
was  happy;  he  built  a  fire  and  cooked  some  of  the  meat. 

The  next  night  the  man  came  again;  he  stopped  at  the 
door,  and  shook  his  feet,  as  if  shaking  off  snow,  but  he 
didn't  go  in.  He  called  to  the  boy,  and  said,  "The  man 
who  is  coming  won't  help  you;  he  has  taken  the  form  of  a 
bear.  He  will  be  here  at  midday,  to-morrow.  In  the 
morning  you  will  find,  between  the  roots  of  the  old  stump 
near  the  door,  a  rusty  knife.  Sharpen  it  and  kill  the 
bear.  When  you  hear  him  coming,  run  to  the  spring 
where  the  tall  hemlock  stands,  and  climb  the  tree;  the 
bear  will  follow  you.  Slip  down  on  the  other  side  and  as 
he  is  coming  down  stab  him  in  the  forefoot." 

The  boy  did  as  the  voice  told  him.  When  he  had  killed 
the  bear,  he  went  back  to  the  cabin.  The  next  night  the 
stranger  came  to  the  door,  and  said,  "My  friend,  men  are 
coming  for  you.  Go  home  with  them,  they  will  be  good  to 
you.  The  chief  will  adopt  you  and  you  will  become  the 
swiftest  runner  living,  but  don't  be  proud  and  boast  of 
your  power.  I  am  your  friend  but  you  will  never  see  me. 
I  am  the  one  who  is  called  G6ha  (Wind).  If  you  are 
in  trouble  think  of  me  and  I  will  help  you.  When  the 
men  come  they  will  ask  about  the  messenger  the  chief 
sent,  you  will  say,  '  I  haven 't  seen  a  man,  but  one  morning 
a  strong  wind  went  through  the  woods.'  " 

The  next  day  four  men  came  with  food  for  the  boy. 
They  saw  that  he  had  wood  and  meat,  but  no  bow  or  ar- 
row. He  went  home  with  the  men  and  the  chief  had  him 
brought  to  his  own  house,  for  the  child's  relatives  were  all 
dead. 

The  chief  said,  "You  will  be  my  grandson  and  live  with 
me."  When  they  gave  the  boy  a  bow  and  arrows,  he 
asked  for  a  club. 

"What  do  you  want  of  a  club?"  asked  the  chief. 

"To  kill  deer." 

The  chief  had  a  club  made  for  him.  He  chased  deer, 
overtook  them,  hit  them  on  the  head  and  killed  them. 
He  killed  birds  before  they  could  fly  away.  Geha  had 
told  him  he  would  be  the  swiftest  runner  living  and  he 


S~4  SENECA    MYTHS 

always  had  that  in  mind.  When  he  saw  boys  running 
he  laughed,  and  thought,  "That  running  is  nothing.  I 
can  run  faster  than  any  boy  living." 

One  night  some  one  struck  on  the  door  near  the  boy's 
bed  and  a  man  called  out,  "Who  is  in  here?" 

"I  am,"  answered  the  boy. 

"Well,  I  challenge  you  to  run  a  race  with  me.  You 
think  you  are  the  swiftest  runner  in  the  world.  We  will 
start  from  the  second  mountain  and  run  from  sunrise  till 
sundown. ' ' 

In  the  morning  the  boy  asked  the  chief,  whom  he  called 
"Grandfather,"  if  in  the  night  he  had  heard  some  one 
talking  outside. 

"I  did  not,"  answered  the  chief. 

"Well,  a  man  came  and  challenged  me  to  run  a  race." 

"I  don't  think  it  was  a  man,"  said  the  chief;  "it  must 
have  been  a  beast  and  I  am  afraid  you  will  get  killed." 

"I've  been  challenged,  and  I  must  go,"  said  the  boy. 
"I  must  be  ready  the  third  morning  from  this." 

He  made  ten  pairs  of  moccasins,  put  flint  in  his  arrows, 
and  parched  corn  to  eat.  On  the  third  morning  he  started. 
When  near  the  appointed  place  he  saw  a  dark  mass.  At 
first  he  didn't  know  what  it  was,  but  when  daylight  came 
he  saw  it  was  a  great  bear. 

When  the  sun  appeared,  the  bear  said,  "Now,  we'll 
start." 

He  leaped  across  the  valley  and  on  to  the  first  mountain ; 
where  he  struck  the  ground  sank.  He  leaped  from  moun- 
tain to  mountain,  but  the  boy  had  to  run  through  the 
valleys. 

At  midday  the  bear  was  ahead  and  the  boy  thought,  "I 
am  lost.    I  wish  my  friend  G£ha  would  come." 

That  minute  Geha  came  as  a  whirlwind  and  carried  the 
boy  far  ahead  of  the  bear.  As  G&ha  traveled  he  threw 
down  trees  and  that  delayed  the  bear  for  it  had  to  jump 
over  them. 

At  last  the  bear's  strength  gave  out  and  he  called  to 
the  boy  that  he  might  have  his  life. 

The  boy  killed  the  bear,  then  he  burned  tobacco  to  his 
friend  Geha  and  asked  to  be  taken  home. 


GfiHA  6$ 

G£ha  carried  him  in  a  whirlwind  and  put  him  down  in 
front  of  the  chief's  house. 

1 '  I  have  come,  Grandfather, ' '  said  the  boy,  ' '  I  have  killed 
a  bear.     You  must  send  men  to  bring  it  home." 

The  chief  sent  eight  men.  They  were  twenty  days  going 
and  twenty  returning,  the  boy  wasn't  half  a  day,  for 
G£ha  had  carried  him  over  the  woods  and  under  the 
clouds. 


WHIRLWIND  AND  PANTHER 


Characters 


DAGWANOEnYENT Cyclone  or  Whirlwind 

Heqes Panther 


ONCE,  in  a  Seneca  village,  a  party  of  men  was  prepar- 
ing to  go  on  a  hunting  expedition.  In  that  village  was 
a  young  man  whom  people  thought  was  foolish,  not  strong  of 
mind.  He  knew  that  hunters  were  getting  ready  for  an 
expedition  and  he  went  to  one  and  another  and  asked  to 
go  with  them,  but  no  one  would  let  him  go. 

After  the  hunters  started  a  young  woman  took  pity  on 
the  young  man,  went  to  him,  and  said,  "Let  us  marry 
and  go  hunting."  He  was  willing.  They  started  off 
together  and  after  going  some  distance  camped  in  the 
forest.  The  man  couldn't  find  any  big  game,  but  he 
killed  squirrels  and  small  game.  He  made  traps  to  catch 
deer  and  put  them  down  where  he  thought  deer  would 
come. 

One  morning,  when  the  young  man  went  to  look  at  his 
traps,  he  heard  some  one  crying;  the  sound  came  nearer 
and  nearer.  Soon  he  saw  a  woman  and  two  little  boys. 
The  woman  was  crying. 

As  she  came  up  she  said  to  the  young  man,  "Help  me, 
or  we  will  be  killed.  One  of  my  little  boys  stole  a  feather 
and  pulled  it  to  bits  and  we  are  going  to  be  killed  for  it. 
I  want  you  to  shoot  the  hawk  on  that  tree  over  there  and 
when  the  person  comes  whose  feather  my  little  boy  took, 
throw  the  hawk  at  him  and  call  out,  'Here  is  your 
feather!'" 

The  man  killed  the  hawk  and  no  sooner  had  he  done 

fi6 


WHIRLWIND    AND    WINTER  67 

so  than  he  heard  a  terrible  roar  and  noise,  and  trees  began 
to  fall.  A  man  came  and  stood  on  a  close-by  tree.  This 
man  had  enormous  eyes  and  long  hair,  and  that  was  all 
there  was  of  him — just  a  great  head  without  a  body.  The 
young  man  threw  the  hawk  at  him,  and  said,  "Here  is 
your  feather."  The  Head  caught  it,  said,  "Thank  you," 
and  was  satisfied. 

The  woman  was  a  panther  and  the  children  were  her 
cubs,  but  to  the  young  man  she  appeared  to  be  a  real 
woman.  She  told  him  that  she  lived  among  the  rocks  and 
that  the  Head  (Whirlwind)  was  her  neighbor.  While  he 
was  away  from  home,  her  little  boy  went  to  his  cabin, 
found  his  feathers  and  spoiled  one  of  them.  When  Whirl- 
wind came  home  he  was  angry  and  chased  her. 

She  told  the  young  man  that  she  knew  he  was  poor, 
that  no  man  would  hunt  with  him,  and  she  said,  "Here- 
after I  will  help  you  and  you  will  get  more  game  than 
any  of  the  hunters,  I  do  this  because  you  saved  me  and 
my  boys." 

After  that  the  young  man  killed  more  game  than  any 
other  hunter  in  the  village. 


A  BIRD  IN  SEARCH  OF  A  MATE 
[Told  by  Peter  White] 


A  YOUNG  woman  lived  alone  on  the  bank  of  a  large 
river.  One  day  she  thought,  "I  am  old  enough  to 
have  a  husband.    It  is  lonely  here  by  myself." 

She  oiled  her  hair,  painted  her  face  red,  put  on  her  best 
clothes  and  went  to  a  spring.  She  dipped  up  a  bucket  of 
water  and  looking  in  it  said,  "I  am  nice  enough  for  any 
man." 

Then  she  started  off  along  the  bank  of  the  river  that 
ran  through  a  forest.  Toward  midday  she  came  to  a 
place  where  she  saw  signs  of  people  living  near,  and, 
seating  herself  on  a  log  she  began  to  sing,  "I  wonder  if 
any  man  around  here  wants  a  wife.  I  wonder  if  any  man 
around  here  wants  a  wife." 

Soon  some  one  far  off  in  the  forest  answered,  "I  want 
a  wife.     I  want  a  wife." 

Then  the  woman  sang  back,  "What  will  we  live  on? 
What  will  we  live  on  when  we  live  together?" 

And  he  sang,  "We  will  live  on  moss." 

And  she,  singing,  answered,  "I  couldn't  live  on  moss. 
I  am  too  good  for  such  coarse  food;  I'm  a  nice  looking 
girl." 

Again  she  traveled  along  the  bank  of  the  river.  It  was 
near  sunset  when  the  young  woman  came  to  a  place  where 
she  saw  signs  of  people  living  near.  She  seated  herself 
on  a  log  and  sang,  "I  wonder  if  any  man  around  here 
wants  a  wife.  I  wonder  if  any  man  around  here  wants  a 
wife." 

Some  one,  not  far  off,  answered,  singing,  "I  want  a 
wife.    I  want  a  wife." 

Then  she  sang,  "What  will  we  live  on?  What  will  we 
live  on?    What  will  we  live  on  when  we  live  together?" 

68 


A  BIRD  IN  SEARCH  OF  A  MATE       69 

And  he,  singing,  answered,  "We  will  live  on  hawthorn 
berries  and  roots." 

She  sang,  "I  cannot  live  on  hawthorn  berries  and  roots. 
I  am  too  good  for  such  food ;  I  'm  a  nice  looking  girl. ' ' 

The  young  woman  traveled  on  till  dusk  then,  seeing 
signs  of  some  one  having  been  along  a  short  time  before, 
she  seated  herself  on  a  log  and  sang,  "I  wonder  if  any 
man  around  here  wants  a  wife.  I  wonder  if  any  man 
around  here  wants  a  wife." 

Close  by  some  one  sang, ' '  I  want  a  wife.    I  want  a  wife. ' ' 

And  she,  singing,  asked,  "What  will  we  live  on?  What 
will  we  live  on  when  we  live  together?" 

And  he  sang  back,  "When  we  live  together  we  will  live 
on  seeds." 

Singing,  she  answered,  "That  is  the  food  I  like;  seeds 
are  nice  and  soft." 

The  singer,  hearing  her  answer,  was  pleased.  He  came 
and  sat  on  a  log  by  her  side,  and,  singing,  asked,  "Did 
you  understand  my  song  when  you  asked  what  we  would 
live  on  when  we  lived  together?" 

She,  singing,  answered,  "Yes,  seeds.  I  love  seeds,  they 
are  sweet  and  soft." 

Then  the  two  flew  off  along  the  bank  of  the  river,  and 
ever  since  have  lived  happily  together — The  first  birds  of 
Spring. 

The  first  man  to  answer  the  young  woman's  call  was  a 
deer — the  second  was  a  bear;  the  third  was  a  bird  like 
herself. 


THE  OKIGIN  OF  STORIES 
[Told  by  Henry  Jacob] 


"This  happened  long  ago,  in  the  time  of  our  forefathers." 

IN  a  Seneca  village  lived  a  boy  whose  father  and  mother 
died  when  he  was  only  a  few  weeks  old.  The  little  boy 
was  cared  for  by  a  woman,  who  had  known  his  parents. 
She  gave  him  the  name  of  Poyeshao11  (Orphan). 

The  boy  grew  to  be  a  healthy,  active  little  fellow.  When 
he  was  old  enough,  his  foster  mother  gave  him  a  bow  and 
arrows,  and  said,  "It  is  time  for  you  to  learn  to  hunt. 
To-morrow  morning  go  to  the  woods  and  kill  all  the  birds 
you  can  find." 

Taking  cobs  of  dry  corn  the  woman  shelled  off  the 
kernels  and  parched  them  in  hot  ashes;  and  the  next 
morning  she  gave  the  boy  some  of  the  corn  for  his  break- 
fast and  rolled  up  some  in  a  piece  of  buckskin  and  told 
him  to  take  it  with  him,  for  he  would  be  gone  all  day  and 
would  get  hungry. 

Poyeshao11  started  off  and  was  very  successful.  At  noon 
he  sat  down  and  rested  and  ate  some  of  the  parched  corn, 
then  he  hunted  till  the  middle  of  the  afternoon.  When 
he  began  to  work  toward  home  he  had  a  good  string  of 
birds. 

The  next  morning  Poyeshao11  's  foster  mother  gave  him 
parched  corn  for  breakfast  and  while  he  was  eating  she 
told  him  that  he  must  do  his  best  when  hunting,  for  if  he 
became  a  good  hunter  he  would  always  be  prosperous. 

The  boy  took  his  bow  and  arrows  and  little  bundle  of 
parched  corn  and  went  to  the  woods ;  again  he  found  plenty 
of  birds.  At  midday  he  ate  his  corn  and  thought  over 
what  his  foster  mother  had  told  him.    In  his  mind  he  said, 

70 


THE    ORIGIN    OF   STORIES  71 

"IH  do  just  as  my  mother  tells  me,  then  some  time  I'll 
be  able  to  hunt  big  game." 

Poyeshao11  hunted  till  toward  evening,  then  went  home 
with  a  larger  string  of  birds  than  he  had  the  previous  day. 
His  foster  mother  thanked  him,  and  said,  "Now  you  have 
begun  to  help  me  get  food." 

Early  the  next  morning  the  boy's  breakfast  was  ready 
and  as  soon  as  he  had  eaten  it  he  took  his  little  bundle 
of  parched  corn  and  started  off.  He  went  farther  into 
the  woods  and  at  night  came  home  with  a  larger  string  of 
birds  than  he  had  the  second  day.  His  foster  mother 
praised  and  thanked  him. 

Each  day  the  boy  brought  home  more  birds  than  the 
previous  day.  On  the  ninth  day  he  killed  so  many  that 
he  brought  them  home  on  his  back.  His  foster  mother 
tied  the  birds  in  little  bundles  of  three  or  four  and  dis- 
tributed them  among  her  neighbors. 

The  tenth  day  the  boy  started  off,  as  usual,  and,  as  each 
day  he  had  gone  farther  for  game  than  on  the  preceding 
day,  so  now  he  went  deeper  into  the  woods  than  ever. 
About  midday  the  sinew  that  held  the  feathers  to  his  arrow 
loosened.  Looking  around  for  a  place  where  he  could  sit 
down  while  he  took  the  sinew  off  and  wound  it  on  again, 
he  saw  a  small  opening  and  near  the  center  of  the  opening 
a  high,  smooth,  flat-topped,  round  stone.  He  went  to  the 
stone,  sprang  up  on  to  it  and  sat  down.  He  unwound 
the  sinew  and  put  it  in  his  mouth  to  soften,  then  he 
arranged  the  arrow  feathers  and  was  about  to  fasten  them 
to  the  arrow  when  a  voice,  right  there  near  him,  asked, 
"Shall  I  tell  you  stories ?" 

Poyeshao11  looked  up  expecting  to  see  a  man,  not  seeing 
any  one  he  looked  behind  the  stone  and  around  it,  then  he 
again  began  to  tie  the  feathers  to  his  arrow. 

"Shall  I  tell  you  stories?"  asked  a  voice  right  there  by 
him. 

The  boy  looked  in  every  direction,  but  saw  no  one. 
Then  he  made  up  his  mind  to  watch  and  find  out  who  was 
trying  to  fool  him.  He  stopped  work  and  listened  and 
when  the  voice  again  asked,  "Shall  I  tell  you  stories?"  he 
found  that  it  came  from  the  stone,  then  he  asked,  "What 
is  that?    What  does  it  mean  to  tell  stories?" 


72  SENECA    MYTHS 

"It  is  telling  what  happened  a  long  time  ago.  If  you 
will  give  me  your  birds,  I'll  tell  you  stories." 

"You  may  have  the  birds." 

As  soon  as  the  boy  promised  to  give  the  birds,  the  stone 
began  telling  what  happened  long  ago.  When  one  story 
was  told,  another  was  begun.  The  boy  sat,  with  his  head 
down,  and  listened.  Toward  night  the  stone  said,  ' '  We  will 
rest  now.  Come  again  to-morrow.  If  anyone  asks  about 
your  birds,  say  that  you  have  killed  so  many  that  they 
are  getting  scarce  and  you  have  to  go  a  long  way  to 
find  one." 

While  going  home  the  boy  killed  five  or  six  birds.  When 
his  foster  mother  asked  why  he  had  so  few  birds,  he  said 
that  they  were  scarce ;  that  he  had  to  go  far  for  them. 

The  next  morning  Poyeshao11  started  off  with  his  bow 
and  arrows  and  little  bundle  of  parched  corn,  but  he 
forgot  to  hunt  for  birds,  he  was  thinking  of  the  stories 
the  stone  had  told  him.  When  a  bird  lighted  near  him  he 
shot  it,  but  he  kept  straight  on  toward  the  opening  in 
the  woods.  When  he  got  there  he  put  his  birds  on  the 
stone,  and  called  out,  ' '  I  've  come !  Here  are  birds.  Now 
tell  me  stories." 

The  stone  told  story  after  story.  Toward  night  it  said, 
"Now  we  must  rest  till  to-morrow." 

On  the  way  home  the  boy  looked  for  birds,  but  it  was 
late  and  he  found  only  a  few. 

That  night  the  foster  mother  told  her  neighbors  that 
when  Poyeshao11  first  began  to  hunt  he  had  brought  home  a 
great  many  birds,  but  now  he  brought  only  four  or  five 
after  being  in  the  woods  from  morning  till  night.  She 
said  there  was  something  strange  about  it,  either  he  threw 
the  birds  away  or  gave  them  to  some  animal,  or  maybe 
he  idled  time  away,  didn't  hunt.  She  hired  a  boy  to 
follow  Poyeshao11  and  find  out  what  he  was  doing. 

The  next  morning  the  boy  took  his  bow  and  arrows  and 
followed  Poyeshao11,  keeping  out  of  his  sight  and  some- 
times shooting  a  bird.  Poyeshao11  killed  a  good  many 
birds;  then,  about  the  middle  cf  the  forenoon,  he  sud- 
denly started  off  toward  the  East,  running  as  fast  as  he 
could.  The  boy  followed  till  he  came  to  an  opening  in 
the  woods  and  saw  Poyeshao11  climb  up  and  sit  down  on 


THE    ORIGIN    OF   STORIES  73 

a  large  round  stone;  he  crept  nearer  and  heard  talking. 
When  he  couldn't  see  the  person  to  whom  Poyeshao11  was 
talking  he  went  up  to  the  boy,  and  asked,  "What  are  you 
doing  here?" 

"Hearing  stories.' ' 

"What  are  stories?" 

1 '  Telling  about  things  that  happened  long  ago.  Put  your 
birds  on  this  stone,  and  say,  'I've  come  to  hear  stories.'  ' 

The  boy  did  as  told  and  straightway  the  stone  began. 
The  boys  listened  till  the  sun  went  down,  then  the  stone 
said,  "We  will  rest  now.     Come  again  to-morrow." 

On  the  way  home  Poyeshao11  killed  three  or  four  birds. 

Whea  the  woman  asked  the  boy  she  had  sent  why 
Poyeshao11  killed  so  few  birds,  he  said,  "I  followed  him 
for  a  while,  then  I  spoke  to  him,  and  after  that  we  hunted 
together  till  it  was  time  to  come  home.  We  couldn't  find 
many  birds." 

The  next  morning  the  elder  boy  said,  "I'm  going  with 
Poyeshao11  to  hunt,  it's  sport."  The  two  started  off  to- 
gether. By  the  middle  of  the  forenoon  each  boy  had  a 
long  string  of  birds.  They  hurried  to  the  opening,  put 
the  birds  on  the  stone,  and  said,  "We  have  come.  Here 
are  the  birds!     Tell  us  stories." 

They  sat  on  the  stone  and  listened  to  stories  till  late 
in  the  afternoon,  then  the  stone  said,  "We'll  rest  now  till 
to-morrow. ' ' 

On  the  way  home  the  boys  shot  every  bird  they  could 
find,  but  it  was  late  and  they  didn't  find  many. 

Several  days  went  by  in  this  way,  then  the  foster  mother 
said,  "Those  boys  kill  more  birds  than  they  bring  home," 
and  she  hired  two  men  to  follow  them. 

The  next  morning,  when  Poyeshao11  and  his  friend 
started  for  the  woods  the  two  men  followed.  When  the 
boys  had  a  large  number  of  birds  they  stopped  hunting 
and  hurried  to  the  opening.  The  men  followed  and,  hiding 
behind  trees,  saw  them  put  the  birds  on  a  large  round 
stone,  then  jump  up  and  sit  there,  with  their  heads  down, 
listening  to  a  man's  voice;  every  little  while  they  said, 

"Un!" 
"Let's  go  there  and  find  out  who  is  talking  to  those 


74  SENECA    MYTHS 

boys,"  said  one  man  to  the  other.  They  walked  quickly 
to  the  stone,  and  asked,  ''What  are  you  doing,  boys?" 

The  boys  were  startled,  but  Poyeshao11  said,  "You  must 
promise  not  to  tell  anyone." 

They  promised,  then  Poyeshao11  said,  "Jump  up  and 
sit  on  the  stone." 

The  men  seated  themselves  on  the  stone,  then  the  boy 
said,  "Go  on  with  the  story,  we  are  listening." 

The  four  sat  with  their  heads  down  and  the  stone  began 
to  tell  stories.  When  it  was  almost  night  the  stone  said, 
"To-morrow  all  the  people  in  your  village  must  come  and 
listen  to  my  stories.  Tell  the  chief  to  send  every  man, 
and  have  each  man  bring  something  to  eat.  You  must 
clean  the  brush  away  so  the  people  can  sit  on  the  ground 
near  me." 

That  night  Poyeshao11  told  the  chief  about  the  story- 
telling stone,  and  gave  him  the  stone's  message.  The 
chief  sent  a  runner  to  give  the  message  to  each  family  in 
the  village. 

Early  the  next  morning  every  one  in  the  village  was 
ready  to  start.  Poyeshao11  went  ahead  and  the  crowd  fol- 
lowed. When  they  came  to  the  opening  each  man  put 
what  he  had  Drought,  meat  or  bread,  on  the  stone;  the 
brush  was  cleared  away,  and  every  one  sat  down. 

When  all  was  quiet  the  stone  said,  "Now  I  will  tell 
you  stories  of  what  happened  long  ago.  There  was  a 
world  before  this.  The  things  that  I  am  going  to  tell 
about  happened  in  that  world.  Some  of  you  will  remember 
every  word  that  I  say,  some  will  remember  a  part  of  the 
words,  and  some  will  forget  them  all — I  think  this  will 
be  the  way,  but  each  man  must  do  the  best  he  can.  Here- 
after you  must  tell  these  stories  to  one  another — Now 
listen." 

Each  man  bent  his  head  and  listened  to  every  word 
the  stone  said.  Once  in  a  while  the  boys  said  "  Un  ! " 
When  the  sun  was  almost  down  the  stone  said,  "We'll 
rest  now.     Come  to-morrow  and  bring  meat  and  bread." 

The  next  morning  when  the  people  gathered  around  the 
stone  they  found  that  the  meat  and  bread  they  had  left 
there  the  day  before  was  gone.  They  put  the  food  they 
had  brought  on  the  stone,  then  sat  in  a  circle  and  waited. 


THE   ORIGIN    OF   STORIES  75 

When  all  was  quiet  the  stone  began.  Again  it  told  stories 
till  the  sun  was  almost  down,  then  it  said,  "Come  to- 
morrow. To-morrow  I  will  finish  the  stories  of  what 
happened  long  ago." 

Early  in  the  morning  the  people  of  the  village  gathered 
around  the  stone  and,  when  all  was  quiet,  the  stone  began 
to  tell  stories,  and  it  told  till  late  in  the  afternoon,  then 
it  said,  "I  have  finished!  You  must  keep  these  stories  as 
long  as  the  world  lasts;  tell  them  to  your  children  and 
grandchildren  generation  after  generation.  One  person 
will  remember  them  better  than  another.  When  you  go 
to  a  man  or  a  woman  to  ask  for  one  of  these  stories  carry 
something  to  pay  for  it,  bread  or  meat,  or  whatever  you 
have.  I  know  all  that  happened  in  the  world  before  this ; 
I  have  told  it  to  you.  When  you  visit  one  another,  you 
must  tell  these  things,  and  keep  them  up  always.  I  have 
finished." 

And  so  it  has  been.  From  the  Stone  came  all  the 
knowledge  the  Senecas  have  of  the  world  before  this. 


THE  MAN-EATING  WIFE,  THE  LITTLE  OLD 
WOMAN  AND  THE  MORNING  STAR 

[Told  by  John  Armstrong] 


Characters 


Gaddewitha Morning  Star 

Ongweias Man-eater 


A  MAN  and  a  woman  lived  by  themselves  in  a  clearing 
in  the  forest.  The  man  hunted;  the  woman  raised 
beans  and  corn. 

One  day,  when  the  woman  sat  in  front  of  the  fire  baking 
an  ash  cake,  a  large  spark  flew  out  and  burned  her.  She 
rubbed  the  spot  with  her  finger,  and  when  it  began  to 
blister  she  wet  her  finger  in  her  mouth  and  rubbed  the 
blister;  in  this  way  she  got  the  taste  of  her  own  flesh, 
and  she  liked  it. 

She  took  a  flint  knife,  cut  out  the  burnt  piece  of  flesh 
and  ate  it.  The  taste  was  so  agreeable  that  she  took  a 
coal  of  fire,  burned  another  place  on  her  arm,  cut  out  the 
flesh  and  ate  it.  The  desire  grew  upon  her  and  she  kept 
burning  and  eating  herself  till  she  had  eaten  all  the  flesh 
she  could  reach  on  her  arms  and  legs. 

The  man  had  a  dog  that  was  wise  and  was  his  friend. 
The  dog  sat  by  the  fire  and  watched  the  woman.  When 
she  was  about  half  through  eating  herself,  she  said  to  him, 
"You  had  better  go  and  tell  your  friend  to  run  away 
and  to  take  you  with  him.  If  he  doesn't  hurry  off,  I  shall 
eat  both  of  you." 

The  dog  ran  as  fast  as  he  could  and  when  he  came  to 

76 


THE    MAN-EATING   WIFE  77 

where  the  man  was  hunting,  he  told  him  what  had  hap- 
pened, that  his  wife  had  become  a  Ongweias  (Man-eater) 
and  was  going  to  eat  herself  and  then  eat  them. 

The  man  and  the  dog  started  off.  The  dog's  legs  were 
short,  he  couldn't  run  fast,  so  the  man  put  him  in  a 
hollow  tree  and  commanded  him  to  become  punk.  The 
dog  was  willing,  for  he  wanted  his  master  to  save  himself. 

The  man  went  on  as  fast  as  he  could  till  he  came  to  a 
river  with  high  banks.    By  the  river  sat  an  old  man. 

"Grandfather,"  said  the  man,  "I  am  in  great  trouble. 
Put  me  across  the  river;  save  me,  my  wife  is  following 
me,  she  wants  to  kill  and  eat  me." 

"I  know  she  is  following  you,"  said  the  old  man,  "but 
she  is  still  a  long  way  off.  I  will  put  you  across  but  first 
you  must  bring  me  a  basketful  of  fish  from  my  fish  pond." 

The  man  went  for  the  fish.  The  pond  was  enclosed.  On 
the  bank  was  a  basket  with  a  handle.  The  man  caught  a 
large  number  of  fish,  filled  the  basket  and  carried  it  to 
the  old  man,  who  cooked  the  fish  and  then  said,  "Sit 
down  and  eat  with  me." 

They  ate  together,  then  the  old  man  said,  "Now  you 
must  bring  me  a  basketful  of  groundnuts." 

The  man  ran  to  the  old  man's  garden,  dug  up  the 
groundnuts  as  quickly  as  possible  and  carried  them  to  him. 
After  he  had  cooked  and  eaten  the  nuts,  he  said,  "Now  I 
will  put  you  across  the  river." 

He  lay  down  at  the  edge  of  the  water  and,  leaning  on 
his  elbows,  stretched  his  neck  to  the  opposite  bank,  and 
called  out,  "Walk  across  on  my  neck,  but  be  careful,  I 
am  not  as  strong  as  I  used  to  be. ' ' 

The  man  walked  over  carefully,  then  the  old  man  bade 
him  good-bye,  saying,  "Far  off  in  the  West  you  will  come 
to  a  large  bark  house;  that  house  belongs  to  your  three 
aunts;  they  will  help  you." 

After  the  women  sent  the  dog  away,  she  took  a  stick, 
and  pushing  the  marrow  out  of  her  bones,  ate  it.  She 
filled  her  bones  with  pebbles  and  the  pebbles  rattled  as 
she  moved.  Every  little  while  she  stopped  eating  and 
danced  and  when  she  heard  the  stones  rattle  in  her  legs 
and  arms,  she  said,  "Oh,  that  sounds  good!" 

The  woman  devoured   everything  in   the   cabin,   meat, 


78  SENECA    MYTHS 

bread,  skins,  everything  that  could  be  eaten,  and  when 
there  was  nothing  left  she  started  off  to  find  her  husband. 

She  came  upon  his  tracks  and  followed  them.  Once  in 
a  while  she  stopped  and  danced  and  listened  with  delight 
to  the  rattle  of  the  pebbles  in  her  bones;  then  she  went  on 
again. 

When  she  came  to  the  bank  of  the  river  and  saw  the  old 
ferryman  she  screamed  to  him,  "Old  man,  come  and  put 
me  across  the  river;  I  am  following  my  husband.  Be 
quick ! ' ' 

The  fisherman  turned  slowly  toward  her,  and  said,  "I 
can't  put  you  across.  There  is  no  crossing  for  a  woman 
who  is  chasing  her  husband  to  catch  and  eat  him.,, 

But  the  woman  urged  and  begged  till  at  last  the  old 
man  said,  "111  put  you  across,  but  first  you  must  bring 
me  a  basketful  of  fish,  and  dig  me  a  basketful  of  ground- 
nuts.' ' 

She  brought  the  fish  and  the  nuts,  but  when  they  were 
cooked  she  wouldn't  eat  with  the  old  man.  She  would  eat 
nothing  now  but  human  flesh. 

After  the  old  man  had  eaten  the  fish  and  the  nuts  he 
stretched  his  neck  across  the  river  but  in  the  form  of  a 
horse's  neck,  very  narrow  and  arching.  The  woman  was 
angry,  and  asked,  "How  do  you  think  I  am  going  to 
walk  on  that?" 

"You  can  do  as  you  like,"  answered  he,  "I  am  old.  I 
can 't  make  my  neck  flat ;  it  would  break.  As  it  is  you  must 
walk  carefully." 

No  matter  how  the  woman  raged,  she  had  to  stay  where 
she  was  or  cross  on  the  arched  neck.  At  last  she  started, 
picking  her  steps  and  scolding  as  she  went. 

The  water  was  deep  and  full  of  terrible  creatures. 
When  the  woman  reached  the  middle  of  the  river  the  old 
man,  angry  because  she  scolded,  jerked  his  neck.  She  fell 
into  the  water  and  that  minute  was  seized  and  devoured 
all  except  her  stomach;  that  floated  down  the  river  and 
past  the  house  of  the  three  aunts. 

The  woman's  life  was  in  her  stomach. 

The  aunts  were  watching,  for  their  nephew  had  been  at 
the  house  and  they  had  promised  to  help  him ;  they  caught 
the  stomach,  chopped  it  up  and  killed  it. 


«,      THE    MAN-EATING   WIFE  79 

The  husband  hurried  on  till  he  came  to  a  forest  where 
he  found  a  young  woman  gathering  sticks. 

" Where  are  you  going?"  asked  the  woman. 

1  '  I  am  going  on  till  I  find  pleasant  people  to  live  with. ' ' 

"Stay  here  and  be  my  husband,"  said  the  woman,  "we 
can  live  happily  if  you  can  manage  my  Grandmother,  who 
is  a  little  old  woman  and  is  very  troublesome." 

The  woman  was  good-looking,  pleasant  and  young;  the 
man  was  glad  to  go  home  with  her. 

When  they  came  to  the  cabin  the  little  old  woman  was 
sitting  outside,  she  was  not  half  as  tall  as  an  ordinary 
person  and  was  very  thick.  As  soon  as  she  saw  them  she 
called  out,  "Oh,  you  have  brought  a  husband!  Give  him 
something  to  eat." 

"Ask  him  in,  Grandmother,"  said  the  young  woman. 

The  old  woman  said,  "Come  in!"  They  followed  her 
into  the  cabin  and  sat  down,  then  she  picked  up  a  club  and 
began  to  beat  her  granddaughter,  saying,  "You  want  a 
husband,  do  you?" 

She  struck  and  struck  and  the  woman  endured  the 
blows  without  saying  a  word. 

The  next  morning  the  old  woman  said  to  her  grandson, 
"We  must  go  to  the  island  and  hunt."  They  went — 
The  island  was  low  and  in  the  center  of  a  deep  lake.  They 
landed  and  drew  up  the  canoe,  then  the  old  woman  said, 
pointing  in  a  direction  away  from  the  landing,  "Take 
your  place  over  there,  I  will  drive  the  game  toward  you." 

When  the  man  had  gone  some  distance  he  turned  and 
saw  that  the  old  woman  was  in  the  canoe  and  paddling 
off  as  fast  as  she  could  go.  He  called  to  her,  but  she  didn't 
answer.  He  stayed  all  day  on  the  island;  there  was  no 
way  of  escape.  After  a  while  he  noticed  water  marks 
very  high  up  on  the  trees  and  then  he  knew  that  at  times 
the  island  was  almost  under  water. 

When  night  came  the  water  began  to  rise;  the  man 
climbed  the  tallest  tree  he  could  find ;  the  water  kept  rising 
and  he  kept  climbing. 

About  half  way  between  midnight  and  morning,  when 
all  the  smaller  trees  were  covered,  the  man  was  at  the 
very  top  of  the  high  tree  and  around  was  a  crowd  of 
creatures  waiting  to  devour  him. 


80  SENECA    MYTHS 

All  at  once  the  man  saw  the  Morning  Star  shining 
brightly.  Then  he  remembered  that  in  his  youth  the 
Morning  Star  had  promised  him,  in  a  dream,  to  help  him 
in  time  of  trouble  or  peril,  and  he  thought,  "If  the 
Morning  Star  will  hurry  the  day  and  make  light  come 
quickly,  the  water  will  go  down  and  I  will  be  saved.' ' 
And  he  called  out,  "Oh,  Morning  Star,  hurry  on  the 
day;  Oh  Morning  Star,  hurry  on  the  day!  When  I  was 
young  you  promised  to  help  me  if  I  were  ever  in  great 
peril." 

The  Morning  Star  lived  in  a  beautiful  house  and  had  a 
small  boy  as  servant,  hearing  the  voice  he  called  to  the 
boy,  "Who  is  that  shouting  on  the  island ?" 

"Oh,"  said  the  boy,  "that  is  the  husband  of  the  little 
old  woman's  Granddaughter.  He  says  that  when  he  was 
young  you  promised  in  a  dream,  to  help  him." 

"Yes,  I  did  promise,"  said  Morning  Star.  "Let  day 
come  right  away!" 

Day  came  immediately  and  the  water  on  the  island  went 
down  at  once. 

When  the  ground  was  dry  the  man  slipped  down  from 
the  tree  and  going  to  the  landing  place  buried  himself 
in  the  sand,  leaving  only  his  nostrils  and  eyes  exposed. 

Early  in  the  forenoon  the  little  old  woman  came  in  a 
canoe  and  pulling  it  up  on  the  beach,  she  said  to  herself, 
"The  flesh  of  my  granddaughter's  husband  is  eaten  up, 
but  maybe  his  bones  are  left;  they  are  young  and  full  of 
nice  marrow.  I'll  find  them  and  eat  the  marrow."  And 
she  began  to  search  for  the  bones.  When  she  was  far 
enough  away,  the  man  crawled  out  of  the  sand,  sprang  into 
the  canoe,  pushed  out,  and  paddled  away. 

When  he  was  some  distance  from  the  island  the  old 
woman  turned,  and  seeing  him,  cried  out,  "Come  back, 
my  Grandson,  come  back!  I'll  never  play  another  trick 
on  you.    I  will  love  you." 

"Oh,  no!"  called  the  man,  "You'll  not  play  another 
trick  on  me,"  and  he  hurried  on. 

When  night  came  and  the  water  began  to  rise  the  old 
woman  climbed  the  tall  pine  tree.  Half  way  between  mid- 
night and  morning,  when  the  water  was  near  the  top  of 
the  tree,  and  the  creatures  in  the  water  were  waiting  to 


THE    MAN-EATING   WIFE  81 

eat  her,  she  screamed  out  to  the  Morning  Star,  "When  I 
was  young,  you  promised  to  help  me  if  ever  I  were  in  dis- 
tress.    Help  me  now/' 

The  Morning  Star  heard  the  voice  and  called  to  his  boy, 
"Is  that  man  on  the  island  yet?" 

"Oh,  no!"  answered  the  boy.  "He  got  off  yesterday; 
that  is  the  little  old  woman  herself.  She  says  that,  when 
she  was  young,  you  promised  in  a  dream  that  if  ever  she 
were  in  trouble  you  would  help  her." 

"Oh,  no!"  said  the  Morning  Star.  "I  never  had  any 
conversation  with  that  old  woman,  I  never  made  her  any 
promise. ' ' 

The  Morning  Star  went  to  sleep  and  let  day  come  at 
its  own  time.  The  water  rose  till  it  reached  the  top  of 
the  pine  tree,  then  the  creatures  of  the  lake  seized  the  little 
old  woman  and  ate  her  up. 

The  man  went  home  to  his  wife  and  they  lived  happily 
ever  after. 


TWO  YOUNG  MEN  WHO  WENT  TO  "THE 
BLUE" 

SPEAKER  AND  DEFINER 


Characters 


Haweniyo Great  Spirit  (The  Sun) 

Hadentheni  Speaker 

Hanigonge"datha  Definer 

Nyagwaihe  gowa The  Ancient  of  Bears 

Gadjiqsa Husk  False  Faces 

Genodskwa Frost  and  Cold 


IN  a  village,  in  olden  times,  lived  two  young  men  who  were 
such  great  friends  that  they  cared  for  no  one  else,  on 
that  account  everybody  disliked  and  shunned  them.  They 
could  find  no  home  to  live  in  so  they  said  to  each  other, 
' 'Since  everybody  dislikes  us  the  sooner  we  go  away  from 
the  village  the  better/ '  and  they  started  toward  the 
South. 

When  night  overtook  them  they  looked  around  for  a 
dry  place,  where  leaves  had  fallen,  for  they  wanted  to 
sleep  comfortably. 

At  first  the  friends  had  only  evergreen  and  roots  to 
eat,  but  afterward  they  made  bows  and  arrows  and  killed 
birds  and  small  game. 

When  they  were  out  of  the  forest,  they  came  to  an 
opening  where  there  was  swampy  ground,  but  they  traveled 
on.  Once  in  a  while  one  said  to  the  other,  ' '  I  am  afraid  we 
will  never  get  across  the  swamp";  but  the  other  said  en- 
couraging words,  and  they  went  on. 

82 


SPEAKER   AND    DEFINER  83 

One  day  the  two  young  men  came  to  a  tall  hemlock 
tree.  ''Climb  up  and  look  around.  See  if  there  is  a 
house  in  sight,"  said  one  to  the  other. 

The  limbs  of  the  hemlock  came  almost  to  the  ground  and 
the  young  man  climbed  up  easily.  When  he  reached  the 
top  of  the  tree  and  looked  off,  he  saw  a  beautiful  trail 
leading  from  the  tree  into  the  air.  He  called  to  his  com- 
panion, "  Throw  down  our  bows  and  arrows  and  come  up 
here  and  see  what  a  splendid  trail  I  have  found." 

The  other  climbed  the  tree  and  looking  at  the  trail,  said, 
"Let  us  find  out  where  it  leads  to." 

They  looked  in  every  direction,  but  saw  no  forest  or 
trees  on  any  side. 

It  had  always  been  necessary  that  whatever  the  two 
friends  undertook  they  should  be  of  one  mind.  They 
were  now  of  one  mind  and  they  started  off  together. 

The  trail  from  the  tree  seemed  as  solid  as  if  upon  the 
ground,  and  extended  as  far  as  eye  could  see. 

The  young  men  traveled  along  the  trail  and  never  knew 
they  were  going  up  till  they  had  reached  another  world. 
It  seemed  pleasant  there,  but  the  leader  said,  "Don't 
stop  here,  let  us  go  on  and  see  where  the  trail  ends." 

Along  the  trail  there  was  plenty  of  game,  but  the  young 
men  paid  no  heed  to  it.  After  a  time  they  came  to  a 
bark-house  out  of  which  smoke  was  rising.  One  of  the 
young  men  said,  "It  is  customary  for  travelers  to  stop 
at  any  house  near  a  trail  and  find  out  who  is  living  there. 
Let  us  look  in  here." 

The  elder  went  first.  The  house  was  of  bark  with  bark 
suspended  for  a  door.  They  pushed  the  door  open  and 
saw  an  old  man  sitting  inside ;  he  saluted  the  young  men, 
and  said,  "I  know  the  trouble  you  have  undergone,  I 
know  that  people  dislike  you.  I  have  called  you  and  you 
have  come  from  the  lower  world,  you  often  spoke  of  the 
world  above.  I  caused  you  to  follow  the  trail  that  leads 
up  here.  Come  into  my  house,  but  you  cannot  stay  long 
for  I  must  go  elsewhere." 

The  man,  who  seemed  to  be  about  middle  age,  said, 
"People  down  in  your  world  often  speak  of  a  brother 
whose  home  is  in  'the  Blue.'  I  am  that  brother.  I  am  he 
who  makes  light    (the   sun.     HAweniyo   commands   me, 


84  SENECA    MYTHS 

says  I  must  give  light  to  the  world.  This  is  my  resting 
place  and  I  can  stay  here  but  a  short  time.  When  you 
come  this  way  again  you  must  stop.  I  am  always  here 
at  midday.  I  go  under  the  earth  and  come  out  in  the 
East.  When  you  come  to  the  next  house  you  must  go  in 
and  speak  to  the  woman  who  lives  there,"  said  the  man 
as  he  started  off  toward  the  West. 

The  two  young  men  traveled  on  till  they  came  to  a 
second  bark  house,  then  the  leader  said,  "We  must  stop 
here  for   our  friend  told  us  to." 

The  house  looked  exactly  like  the  first  one.  The  young 
men  went  inside  and  saw  an  old  woman  sewing  skins  to- 
gether.   They  said  to  her,  "We  have  come,  Grandmother." 

"I  am  glad,"  said  she.  "It  was  your  brother  who  sent 
you  here.  Now  you  must  eat,  for  it  is  a  long  time  that 
you  are  without  food." 

In  one  part  of  the  house  they  saw  a  bark  bowl  full  of 
boiled  squash,  evidently  just  from  the  kettle.  They  sat 
down  and  the  old  woman  gave  each  of  them  half  of  a 
squash  and  a  quarter  of  a  loaf  of  Indian  bread,  saying, 
1 '  This  will  be  enough  for  both. ' ' 

"No,"  said  one  of  the  young  men,  "there  is  no  more 
here  than  I  can  eat." 

"It  is  enough, ' '  said  the  woman,  ' ' when  you  come  back, 
stop  and  I  will  give  you  more,  I  am  the  woman  whom 
people  down  below  call  the  'Moon.'  Be  on  your  guard; 
the  trail  is  full  of  danger,  you  must  be  brave.  Don't  look 
at  anything  outside  of  your  path  for  an  enemy  is  there. 
Don't  heed  anything  you  see  or  hear;  if  you  do  you  are 
lost.  After  a  while  you  will  pass  the  dangerous  part  and 
come  to  a  house  where  you  can  stop." 

As  the  friends  traveled  on  they  saw  all  kinds  of  fruit 
and  game.  It  called  to  them  ' '  Stop !  Come  and  eat,  I  am 
good!" 

But  they  remembered  the  old  woman's  words  and  paid 
no  heed.  Each  fruit  had  words  of  its  own  with  which 
it  begged  the  young  men  to  come  and  eat  of  it.  After  a 
while  the  fruit  stopped  calling,  and  the  friends  thought, 
"Maybe  we  are  out  of  trouble  now  and  will  soon  come 
to  the  house  where  the  old  woman  told  us  to  stop." 

But  they  came  to  a  second  place.     The  first  fruit  was 


SPEAKER    AND    DEFINER  85 

full  of  witchcraft.  If  they  had  eaten  of  it,  they  would 
have  died,  but  at  the  second  place  they  ate  of  the  fruit 
and  were  refreshed.  After  a  while,  they  saw  a  house  in 
the  distance  and  one  said  to  the  other,  "We  are  coming 
to  a  place  where  we  may  be  in  danger,  we  may  have  no 
mind  of  our  own.  We  wanted  to  come  and  now  that  we 
are  here  we  must  endure  what  we  meet." 

They  talked  in  this  way  till  they  came  to  the  house.  In 
the  house  they  found  a  man  who  called  himself  their  uncle 
and  said,  "lam  glad  that  your  brother  has  sent  you.  You 
are  going  to  a  large  assembly,  but  you  cannot  join  it 
unless  I  change  you." 

One  of  the  young  men  was  frightened.  He  asked, i  i  Why 
should  we  be  changed?  We  are  men,  we  have  come  thus 
far  in  our  own  form." 

"You  have  come  here  in  your  own  form,  but  now 
you  must  be  made  ready  to  enter  the  assembly  of  this 
world." 

The  other  young  man  looked  steadfastly  at  his  uncle 
and  was  not  frightened  or  discouraged. 

The  old  man  went  to  another  part  of  the  house  and 
brought  out  a  long  wide  strip  of  bark,  set  it  up  slanting, 
and  said,  "The  first  that  came  shall  be  transformed  first," 
and  he  called  to  the  young  man  to  come  and  lie  on  the 
bark.  He  did  so;  then  the  old  man  asked,  "Are  you 
ready?" 

"I  am  ready." 

The  uncle  blew  through  his  hand  on  to  the  young  man's 
head,  and  bones  and  flesh  separated  and  fell  into  two 
heaps. 

The  other  nephew  looked  on,  saw  how  the  uncle  took 
every  joint,  separated  the  parts,  wiped  and  put  the  bones 
aside,  and  he  thought, ' '  My  luck  is  hard.  I  am  alone  here ; 
my  friend  is  gone." 

After  the  bones  had  been  cleaned  the  old  man  put  them 
in  place  again,  then,  saying,  "Be  ready!"  he  blew  through 
his  hands  on  to  the  skull  of  the  skeleton.  The  force  of 
the  blowing  sent  the  skeleton  a  long  distance,  but  again  it 
was  a  man.  This  was  the  way  in  which  each  man  had 
to  be  purified. 

The  second  nephew  did  not  want  to  be  treated  in  the 


86  SENECA    MYTHS 

same  manner.  He  did  not  go  forward  willingly,  but  when 
the  uncle  was  ready  he  gave  the  word  and  the  young  man 
could  not  hold  back.  He  lay  on  the  bark  and  was  treated 
as  his  friend  had  been  treated,  while  the  friend  in  his 
turn  looked  on.  Because  he  had  been  unwilling,  his  body 
was  more  difficult  to  purify. 

The  old  man  washed  and  wiped  each  bone.  He  took 
more  uncleanness  from  this  nephew  than  from  the  first. 
After  he  had  put  the  bones  in  place,  and  said,  "Be  ready!" 
he  blew  on  the  skull  with  such  force  that  the  skeleton  shot 
off  a  long  distance,  but  it  became  a  beautiful  young  man. 

Then  the  old  man  said,  "You  are  purified.  Now  I  will 
try  your  power." 

They  went  outside  and  stood  in  the  opening.  A  deer 
was  feeding  on  the  grass.  The  uncle  said  to  one  of  the 
young  men,  "Catch  that  deer."  To  the  deer  he  called 
out,  "Be  on  your  guard,  my  nephew  is  going  to  kill  you!" 

The  deer  sprang  off,  but  had  made  only  a  few  bounds 
when  the  young  man  was  at  its  side.  The  uncle  saw  how 
he  caught  the  deer,  and,  knowing  that  he  was  fit  for  any 
race,  he  said,  "You  are  ready  now." 

Then  he  told  the  second  nephew  to  catch  the  deer,  call- 
ing out  to  the  deer,  "Be  on  your  guard,  my  nephew  is 
going  to  kill  you ! ' ' 

The  deer  sprang  away,  but  the  young  man  overtook  it 
and  brought  it  to  the  old  man,  who  said,  "You  also  are 
ready.  You  can  go  to  the  assembly  and  see  what  you  can 
accomplish. ' ' 

The  young  men  started.  They  had  not  gone  far  when 
they  saw  a  man  coming  toward  them.  There  was  a  little 
hollow  ahead.  They  saw  him  go  down  into  this  hollow 
and  come  up,  walking  very  fast.  As  the  three  men  met, 
the  stranger  said,  "You  have  come,  brothers.  Your  elder 
brother  wanted  you  to  come.  Now  you  must  go  with  me 
to  the  great  assembly.  He  who  has  charge  of  the  assembly 
is  the  same  who  made  the  world  from  which  you  have 
come.  As  you  could  not  go  to  the  assembly  alone  I  have 
been  sent  to  conduct  you." 

The  stranger  turned  and  the  young  men  followed  him 
at  what  seemed  to  them  incredible  speed.  Soon  they  heard 
the  noise  as  of  a  multitude  of  voices  and  the  sound  grew 


SPEAKER    AND    DEFINER  87 

louder  and  louder.  The  stranger  said,  "It  is  the  sound 
of  mirth  and  it  comes  from  the  assembly." 

When  they  approached  there  seemed  to  be  an  immense 
settlement  and  the  stranger  said  to  one  of  the  young  men, 
"Your  sister's  house  is  off  at  the  end,  and  your  brothers' 
are  there  too.  You  cannot  go  into  their  houses  for  you  did 
not  die  before  you  came  here.  You  must  pass  through  the 
same  that  they  have  to  enter  their  homes. ' ' 

As  the  young  men  went  along,  they  felt  a  great  desire 
to  go  into  the  houses,  but  they  knew  they  could  not.  As 
they  walked  they  inhaled  the  odor  of  beautiful  flowers  that 
grew  along  the  path. 

After  a  while  the  guide  pointed  to  a  long  house,  and 
said,  "That  is  where  Haweniyo  lives,  he  who  made  the 
world  below  and  allowed  you  to  come  here.  We  will  sit 
down  by  the  door  and  afterward  go  in." 

The  long  house  was  built  with  low  walls  and  hung  in- 
side with  green  boughs  that  gave  out  a  delightful  odor. 
As  the  air  moved,  a  strong  perfume  came  from  the  flowers 
and  herbs  that  were  inside  the  house.  As  the  young  men 
entered,  they  saw  a  great  many  people,  who  had  come  to 
praise  Haweniyo  and  have  the  Green  Corn  dance.  These 
people  did  not  notice  that  two  men  were  there  in  human 
flesh — for  the  two  had  been  purified. 

A  man  came  out  of  the  crowd  and  proclaimed  what 
things  had  to  be  done.  The  guide  said,  "This  is  the  one 
whom  you  call  Haweniyo.  It  is  here  that  those  who  are 
good  in  the  lower  world  come  when  they  die.  When  you 
reach  home  you  will  tell  your  people  what  you  have  seen. 
Now  I  will  go  back  with  you." 

The  three  started.  When  they  came  to  the  place  where 
he  had  met  them,  the  guide  left  them  and  the  young  men 
went  on  alone.  They  traveled  very  swiftly,  calling  at  each 
place  where  they  had  stopped  when  coming,  but  only  to 
return  thanks. 

When  they  reached  Sun's  house,  Sun  said,  "You  are 
going  home.  I  caused  you  to  come  hither.  You  have 
been  ten  days  traveling,  but  what  we  call  a  day  here  is  a 
year  in  the  lower  world. ' ' 

When  the  young  men  got  back  to  the  lower  world  they 
were  about  thirty  years  old.    The  ten  years  they  had  been 


88  SENECA    MYTHS 

gone  seemed  no  longer  than  going  in  the  morning  and 
coming  back  in  the  evening. 

Sun  took  them  to  the  hemlock  tree  where  the  trail  began. 
They  found  that  their  bows,  which  they  had  left  on  the 
ground,  were  covered  with  moss.  Sun  reached  for  the 
bows  and  arrows,  took  them  in  his  hands,  rapped  off  the 
moss,  and  they  were  as  new  as  if  just  made.  He  said, 
"Long  ago  the  people  moved  from  the  village  where  you 
were  born." 

It  was  twelve  looks1  from  the  hemlock  tree  to  where 
the  village  had  been.  "When  they  came  to  the  end  of 
twelve  looks  Sun  said,  "Here  is  where  the  village  was." 
Clearings  and  little  hillocks  where  corn  had  been  were 
to  be  seen,  but  grass  was  growing  everywhere. 

Sun  said,  "You  will  find  your  people  twelve  looks 
farther  on.  "When  you  come  to  the  first  house  ask  the 
old  man  you  will  find  there,  if  years  ago  he  heard  of  two 
young  men  who  disappeared  from  his  village.  If  he  gives 
you  no  information,  go  to  the  next  house,  you  will  find  an 
old  woman  there,  ask  her  the  same  question.  Now  we  will 
part." 

Sun  turned  back  and  the  young  men  went  forward. 
After  a  time  they  came  to  an  opening  in  the  woods  and 
saw  a  village.  They  entered  the  first  house  and  called  the 
old  man  sitting  there  "Grandfather"  and  one  asked,  "Do 
you  remember  that  once  two  young  men  were  lost  from 
the  village  where  you  were  living?" 

The  old  man  held  his  head  down,  as  if  thinking,  then 
raised  it  and  said,  "Why  do  you  ask  the  question?  Two 
young  men  did  disappear.  It  was  said  that  they  were 
lost,  but  it  was  never  known  in  what  way." 

"How  long  ago  did  this  happen?" 

"At  the  time  they  were  lost  the  village  was  forsaken. 
It  was  ten  years  ago.  The  old  chief  told  the  young  men 
that  they  must  not  stay  any  longer  in  that  place;  their 
children  or  grandchildren  might  disappear  in  the  same 
way  the  two  friends  had.  But,"  said  the  old  man,  "there 
is  a  woman  in  the  next  house,  who  can  tell  you  more  than 
I  can." 

iln  olden  times  distance  was  measured  by  "looks":  as  far  as  one 
could  see. 


SPEAKER   AND    DEFINER  89 

They  went  to  the  second  house  and  said  to  the  woman 
they  found  there,  ' '  How  do  you  do,  Grandmother,  we  have 
come  to  talk  with  you."  Their  first  question  was,  "Why 
did  your  people  desert  the  old  village  ?" 

"Two  young  men  disappeared,"  replied  the  old  woman. 
"The  place  was  blamed  for  it;  people  thought  it  must  be 
inhabited  by  some  evil  thing  which  took  off  their  children. ' ' 

The  young  men  thought  they  had  done  as  Sun  instructed 
them  to  do,  so  they  said,  ' '  We  are  the  two  who  were  lost. 
We  have  returned." 

"Where  have  you  been?"  asked  the  old  woman. 

"We  cannot  tell  you  alone,  but  let  an  assembly  be 
called  and  we  will  speak  of  all  we  have  seen.  Notify  the 
people  that  there  will  be  dancing,  then  they  will  come. 
There  was  nothing  but  mirth  where  we  were." 

The  old  woman  said,  "It  is  the  duty  of  the  man  who 
lives  in  that  house  yonder  to  notify  the  people  of  such 
gatherings.    I  will  go  and  tell  him." 

"Very  well,"  said  the  young  man,  "the  account  of  our 
journey  is  important,  none  of  our  people  will  ever  see 
what  we  have  seen  and  return  to  tell  about  it." 

The  old  woman  told  the  messenger  that  two  men  had 
come  to  the  village  with  important  news  and  a  meeting 
of  the  people  must  be  called. 

The  messenger  started  and  when  he  came  to  a  certain 
spot  he  called  out,  "Gowe!  Gowe!"  and  continued  to  call 
till  he  reached  the  end  of  the  village. 

The  people  assembled  and  the  chief  went  to  the  old 
woman's  cabin  and  said  to  the  two  strangers,  "Let  your 
work  be  done." 

When  the  young  men  came  to  the  assembly,  people 
looked  at  them  with  curiosity,  for  they  seemed  to  be  a 
different  kind  of  people.    They  did  not  recognize  them. 

The  chief  said,  "These  men  are  here  with  a  message. 
Whence  they  have  come  no  one  knows,  for  we  know  of 
no  other  people  living  in  the  world  but  ourselves." 

The  chief  sat  down  and  one  of  the  young  men  rose,  and 
said,  "Listen!" — He  was  the  first  one  purified,  he  had 
been  first  in  all  things  afterward  and  was  now  the  first 
to  speak — "I  want  to  ask  you  a  question.  Did  you,  while 
living  in  your  old  village  lose  two  young  men?" 


90  SENECA    MYTHS 

A  woman  rose  up,  and  said,  "I  will  answer  that  ques- 
tion. Two  young  men,  despised  and  shunned  by  all,  dis- 
appeared and  have  not  been  seen  since. ' '  And  she  sat 
down. 

Then  the  old  man  whom  the  two  friends  had  visited  rose, 
but  he  couldn't  say  much. 

The  last  man  purified  stood  up,  and  said,  "We  are  the 
two  who  disappeared,  nobody  cared  for  us  and  we  were 
grieved.  We  have  been  to  the  other  world,  have  been  in 
the  Southern  world,  and  have  returned  to  you.  A  guide 
came  with  us  to  our  starting  place.  Your  own  wickedness 
caused  you  to  leave  your  village  and  homes.  You  are  like 
animals  in  the  forest;  when  their  young  are  old  enough, 
they  desert  them.  As  soon  as  we  were  large  enough,  you 
deserted  us.  The  birds  build  homes  for  their  young,  but 
soon  leave  them.  You  will  see  that  whenever  the  young 
bird  meets  its  mother  it  flutters  its  wings,  but  the  mother 
passes  it  by.  We,  like  the  young  bird,  were  happy  to  meet 
you,  but  you  didn't  want  to  see  us.  When  we  went  away 
we  were  young ;  we  are  now  men.  What  is  your  opinion  ? 
Will  it  be  customary  hereafter  to  desert  homeless  chil- 
dren?'' 

(The  two  wanted  to  be  received  into  the  gens  [clan].) 

The  young  man's  companion  listened  to  his  speech  and 
then  said,  ' '  Let  this  be  a  starting  point.  Whenever  a  poor 
family  are  rearing  children,  never  forsake  them.  When 
parents  die,  care  for  their  fatherless  and  motherless  chil- 
dren." 

The  two  friends  told  how  they  had  visited  the  long 
house  in  "the  Blue"  and  seen  Haweniyo;  how  they  had 
been  directed  to  describe  to  their  people  in  the  lower 
world  all  they  had  seen.  Then  they  told  the  people  they 
must  learn  the  dance  that  Haweniyo  wished  them  to  know, 
the  Green  Corn  dance. 

One  of  the  young  men  sang  the  song  he  had  heard  in 
the  world  above ;  the  other  taught  the  people  how  to  dance 
to  the  song.  He  said  to  them,  "Let  it  be  that  whatever 
we  saw  done  up  there  will  be  done  here."  The  people 
adopted  the  rules  laid  down  for  them  at  this  time,  and 
their  religion  was  formed. 

The  friend,  who  was  last  to  be  purified,  became  Haden- 


SPEAKER   AND    DEFINER  91 

theni  (Speaker),  the  first  to  be  purified  became  Hanigon- 
ge°datha  (Definer),  to  explain  the  meaning  of  everything 
touching  Haweniyo. 

After  a  time,  the  two  young  men  said,  "Let  us  con- 
tinue our  journey. "  They  went  on.  They  found  many 
villages  and  spoke  to  the  people.  This  is  why  the  Indians 
are  religious  to-day.  Those  men  were  good  in  all  things 
and  the  people  followed  their  example. 

They  traveled  till  they  had  finished  their  work  in  the 
North,  then  they  said,  "We  have  spoken  peace  to  all  the 
tribes  of  the  North,  now  we  will  return  to  our  birthplace. ' ' 

After  they  had  been  at  home  a  while,  they  said,  "Let 
us  travel  South  from  the  hemlock  tree  and  let  our  food  be 
the  game  we  kill." 

When  they  had  traveled  a  few  days  they  camped  and 
began  to  hunt,  going  in  different  directions  in  quest  of 
game.  During  one  of  those  expeditions,  the  Speaker  saw 
a  man  dodging  around  the  trees.  As  he  approached  the 
dodger  stopped,  and  said,  "Grandson,  I  am  glad  to  see 
you.  I  have  been  sent  to  tell  you  that  you  and  others 
are  in  great  danger.  This  is  all  I  can  say,  but  come  with 
me  to  my  chief,  he  will  answer  your  questions." 

The  Speaker  followed  the  stranger  for  he  wanted  to 
find  out  if  there  were  really  people  living  near. 

The  two  soon  came  to  a  high  cliff  and  the  stranger  said, 
"We  live  down  there." 

Looking  closely  the  young  man  saw  an  almost  invisible 
trail.  They  followed  the  trail  to  the  bottom  of  the  ravine 
and  came  to  an  opening  in  the  rocks.  When  about  to 
enter  the  stranger  said,  "Leave  your  bow  and  arrows, 
as  you  do  when  you  go  into  other  houses." 

They  went  through  the  first  opening  and  into  a  second. 
In  the  second  was  an  old  man  and  an  old  woman.  The 
stranger  said  to  them,  "I  have  brought  your  grandson." 

"We  have  met  many  times,"  said  the  old  man,  "but 
you  have  never  been  able  to  know  it.  Now  I  have  sent  for 
you  for  I  want  to  tell  you  that  you  are  in  great  danger. 
Your  companion  has  gone  far  into  the  forest  and  the 
Nyagwaihe  gowa  is  on  his  trail.  At  midday  to-morrow 
the  enemy  will  be  at  your  camp.  He  is  full  of  witchcraft 
and  if  vou  do  not  act  as  I  tell  you  he  will  kill  you  and 


92  SENECA    MYTHS 

kill  us.  We  have  many  times  tried  to  destroy  Nyagwaihe 
gowa,  but  he  is  so  full  of  magic  that  we  cannot  kill  him. 

"Go  back  to  your  camp,  your  friend  is  there  now.  Cut 
some  basswood  sticks  and  make  them  into  mannikins. 
When  the  mannikins  are  finished  put  them  down  in  front 
of  your  brush  house,  near  the  door,  and  give  each  one  a 
bow  and  arrow.  When  Nyagwaihe  gowa  approaches,  you 
will  know  it  by  the  roar.  Fell  trees  in  the  path  and  be 
ready  with  bow  and  arrows. 

"Nyagwaihe  gowa's  life  is  in  his  feet.  When  he  raises 
a  foot  to  cross  the  trees  you  have  felled  you  will  see  a 
white  spot  in  the  sole  of  the  foot;  there  his  heart  is.  Hit 
it  if  you  can,  for  there  only  will  a  shot  take  effect. ' ' 

The  young  man  went  back  to  camp,  cut  down  basswood 
trees,  and,  with  the  aid  of  his  friend,  made  two  mannikins. 
He  obeyed  the  old  man  in  everything. 

The  old  man  who  lived  among  the  rocks  was  of  the 
Gadjiqsa  (Husk  False  Face)  people. 

The  young  men  sat  in  their  brush  house  till  midday. 
When  they  heard  Nyagwaihe  gowa  roaring,  far  off  in  the 
ravine,  they  grew  weak.  Gadjiqsa  had  told  them  to  keep 
on  the  leeward  of  Nyagwaihe  so  he  might  not  scent  them. 

They  were  frightened,  but  said,  "We  cannot  run  away, 
we  would  not  escape.  Our  only  chance  is  to  stay  here  and 
kill  the  enemy.  If  he  kills  us  he  will  go  to  our  village 
and  destroy  everybody. " 

As  the  creature  came  in  sight  it  was  furious.  Whenever 
it  came  to  a  tree  it  sprang  at  it  and  tore  it  to  pieces;  the 
smaller  trees  fell  at  its  touch. 

Every  time  the  creature  roared,  the  young  men  lost  their 
strength  and  were  ready  to  drop  to  the  ground.  When 
the  Bear  passed  their  hiding  place  and  went  toward  the 
mannikins  and  raised  his  feet  in  crossing  a  tree  one  of 
the  men  shot  at  the  white  spot  and  when  he  was  going 
over  a  second  tree  the  other  man  shot  him  through  the 
other  foot.  This  made  Nyagwaihe  rage  fearfully.  He 
seized  one  of  the  mannikins  and  bit  it  through  the  body, 
then  tore  the  house  to  bits,  but  a  little  farther  on  he  fell 
dead. 

The  young  men  cut  the  Bear's  hind  feet  off,  for  Gad- 
jiqsa had  said  that  if  they  failed  to  do  this  Nyagwaihe 


SPEAKER   AND    DEFINER  93 

would  come  to  life.  As  they  cut  off  the  feet  the  whole 
body  quivered. 

The  ribs  of  this  Bear  were  not  like  those  in  other  animals, 
they  formed  one  solid  bone.  They  cut  the  carcass  into 
pieces  and  burned  the  pieces  to  ashes,  together  with  all  the 
bones,  for  Gadjiqsa  said,  "If  even  one  particle  of  bone  is 
left,  Nyagwaihe  gowa  will  come  to  life,  and  the  hide 
must  be  hung  over  a  fire  and  smoked,  otherwise  it  will 
retain  life  and  become  Nyagwaihe  gowa  himself  again.' ' 

The  young  men  did  exactly  as  they  had  been  told,  then 
they  continued  to  hunt. 

Again  a  man  from  the  Gadjiqsa  met  one  of  the  friends, 
and  led  him  to  the  old  man  among  the  rocks,  who  said, 
"By  killing  the  Great  Bear  you  saved  my  people  as  well 
as  your  own.  Haweniyo  (The  Great  Spirit)  has  given  us 
power  to  aid  men.  It  is  my  wish  that  you  and  your  people 
should  prosper.  There  is  another  enemy  to  conquer.  When 
you  leave  your  camp,  you  will  go  on  till  you  come  to  a 
river.    There  you  will  camp  again,  but  be  on  your  guard. ' ' 

The  young  men  set  out  again.  When  they  came  to  a 
river  they  camped,  put  up  a  bark  cabin,  and  while  one 
was  building  a  fire,  the  other  went  to  look  for  game. 

Soon  the  man  building  the  fire  heard  somebody  talking 
loudly,  as  though  making  a  speech.  He  went  toward  the 
voice  and  saw  the  speaker  in  a  valley  beyond  a  low  hill. 
He  crept  forward  cautiously  so  as  not  to  be  seen.  On  a 
slight  elevation  stood  a  man  surrounded  by  many  people. 
The  man  said,  "To-morrow  we  start  for  the  village  from 
which  the  two  friends  came.  At  the  journey's  end  we 
will  have  a  great  feast." 

The  young  man,  who  was  listening,  knew  that  these 
people  were  Genodskwa  (Frost  and  Cold)  and  that  they 
were  going  to  his  village  to  eat  all  the  people.  He  was 
frightened  at  their  great  number;  he  went  back  to  the 
bark  cabin,  scattered  the  brands  and  put  out  the  fire. 
When  his  friend  came  and  asked  why  he  had  no  fire,  he 
said,  "Don't  talk  so  loudly,  there  are  many  Genodskwa 
under  the  hill;  they  are  going  to  destroy  our  people." 

"We  must  hurry  home,"  said  the  other,  and  they  started 
at  once. 

The  next   morning   they  heard  the  approach   of   the 


94  SENECA    MYTHS 

Genodskwa.  The  sound  was  like  heavy  thunder.  It  was 
evident  that  they  traveled  much  faster  than  the  two  men. 

One  of  the  friends  said  to  the  other,  who  was  a  swift 
runner,  "Run  to  the  village  and  warn  the  people!" 

He  ran  to  the  village,  and  said,  "The  GENOnSKWA  ar« 
coming.  You  may  die,  but  do  not  die  without  a  struggle. ' ' 
Then  he  hurried  back  to  his  comrade. 

The  comrade  said,  "I  will  stay  near  the  enemy  and  de- 
tain him  all  I  can." 

That  night  the  Genodskwa  chief  said,  "No  one  must 
go  far.  If  he  does  and  is  away  when  the  feast  begins  he 
will  lose  his  share  of  it." 

The  two  men  listening  heard  what  the  chief  said.  They 
couldn't  think  of  any  way  to  save  themselves  or  their 
people.  The  people  of  the  village  were  so  frightened  that 
they  ran  from  place  to  place  not  knowing  what  to  do. 

When  the  G£nodskwa  were  near  the  village  the  chief 
said,  "Let  us  halt  and  rest." 

The  two  friends  sat  in  a  sheltered  place  near  the  bank 
of  a  river.  All  at  once  they  saw  a  man  with  a  smiling 
face.  When  he  came  up  he  said,  "I  will  save  you  and 
your  people.  I  will  conquer  the  G^no^skwas.  HAweniyo 
has  sent  me  to  aid  you.  You  must  stay  here  and  listen,  I 
will  go  alone  and  fight  the  enemy." 

With  a  smiling  face  and  telling  the  people,  who  were 
running  for  their  lives,  not  to  be  frightened  if  they  heard 
a  terrible  noise,  the  stranger  went  into  the  valley  where  the 
G&NOnsKWAS  had  halted  to  rest. 

Soon  a  noise  as  of  a  desperate  battle  was  heard  and  the 
two  men,  who  had  been  told  to  listen,  saw  steam,  from 
the  sweat  of  the  Genodskwa  people,  rising  above  the  hill. 

The  sound  came  at  intervals,  but  decreased  in  volume. 
At  last  it  ceased  altogether  and  the  men  saw  the  stranger 
coming.  When  he  was  near,  he  said,  "I  am  thankful  thftt 
I  was  able  to  destroy  them.  The  G£nodskwas  are  dead 
and  your  people  are  safe.  Haweniyo  sends  me  to  aid  his 
people.  Wherever  there  is  witchcraft  I  am  sent  against 
it.  I  am  sure  to  kill  whomever  I  pursue.  If  a  witch  crawls 
into  a  tree,  I  shoot  the  tree ;  it  opens  and  the  witch  comes 
out.    I  am  he  whom  you  call  ^Lightning. '  " 

The  stranger  disappeared   and  the   two   men   went   to 


SPEAKER   AND    DEFINER  95 

where  the  G&NOnSKWAS  army  had  been.  Only  piles  of 
stones  were  left.  The  stones  of  the  earth  are  from  this 
battle  and  the  killing  of  the  G^no^skwas. 

It  was  through  the  two  purified  young  men  that  our 
forefathers  were  saved  from  death  and  lived  to  great  old 
age.  They  foretold  what  would  be.  And  to  this  day  we 
hold  to  the  teachings  of  those  men.  They  obtained  their 
religion  in  the  upper  world. 

Lightning  is  the  forerunner  of  Spring.  Warm  weather 
destroyed  the  Genodskwas  (Frost  and  Cold). 


THE  TEIALS  AND  DEATH  OF  INCHWOBM 
[Told  by  Johnny  John] 


Characters 


Donyakdane,  Inchworm,  who  was  also  called  Dada- 

wenye  (He  who  travels  everywhere) 
Ganyaqde11,  Mud  turtle,  who  was  also  called  Hane°- 

yowa'ne  (Big  Bones) 

Wa'yoq Kabbit,  also  called  Daqsi'des  (Long  Foot) 

Gaqga',  Eaven,  also  called  Shagonagaes   (Always 

Chasing) 
Gasyondetha,  Lightning  Lion,  or  Meteor,  also  called 

Hogees  (Long  Horns) 
No°gwatgwa,  Fox,  also  called  Hedhgeowane   (Big 

Tail) 

Nyagwaihe The  Ancient  of  Bears 

Dzodjogis  Blackbird 

NONDZAQGWE     Woodcock 

Dzainos  gowa Blue  Lizard 

Geha Wind 


INCHWORM  lived  in  a  little  dirt  cabin  in  the  center 
of  a  big  forest.  He  had  plenty  of  meat  and  provisions 
of  all  kinds.  One  morning  a  messenger  came  to  his  cabin 
and  said,  "They  want  you  to  come  to  Dry  Island,  two 
days  from  now,  to  be  present  at  a  meeting." 

"I  will  be  there,"  said  the  old  man,  but,  after  the  mes- 
senger had  gone,  he  began  to  wonder  what  the  meeting 
was  for,  and  if  he  ought  to  go. 

96 


DEATH    OF   INCHWORM  97 

Two  days  later,  Inchworm,  starting  before  sunrise  and 
traveling  very  fast,  at  midday  reached  a  large  lake.  He 
stood  near  the  water  and  looking  around  asked  in  his 
mind,  ' l  "Where  is  Dry  Island  ? ' '  After  a  while  he  saw,  off 
in  the  western  part  of  the  lake,  a  small  island.  He  walked 
along  the  shore  till  he  was  opposite  the  island,  then  went 
into  the  water  and  swam  till  he  came  to  it.  He  went 
ashore,  looked  around  and  thought,  "Well,  where  are  the 
people?  I  can't  stay  here  long;  it's  too  dry.  But  I  have 
promised  to  be  at  the  meeting." 

Then  he  saw,  at  the  northern  end  of  the  island,  a  crowd 
of  people.  He  went  to  the  place  and  when  the  chiefs 
saw  him  they  called  out,  "All  are  present.  Now  we  will 
begin. ' ' 

The  four  chiefs:  Meteor,  Rabbit,  Raven  and  Fox,  sat 
down  and  began  to  talk  about  Inchworm.  They  were 
of  one  mind;  they  wanted  Inchworm  to  move  away  from 
the  forest  where  his  home  was. 

Inchworm  didn't  want  to  go  away  from  a  place  where 
he  had  lived  a  long  time,  he  said,  "lam  satisfied  with  my 
home.  I  like  the  country  around  there.  Why  should  I 
leave  it?" 

The  chiefs  tried  to  make  him  consent  to  move,  but  he 
wouldn't,  his  answer  was  always,  "I  am  satisfied  with  my 
home.    Why  should  I  leave  it?" 

The  chiefs  were  losing  patience  and  getting  angry  with 
him  when  all  at  once  they  heard  a  noise  at  the  southern 
end  of  the  island ;  they  heard  Mud  Turtle  coming  and  he 
was  scolding.  When  he  came  to  where  the  people  were 
assembled,  he  said,  "I  want  you  to  leave  my  island." 

"Be  quiet!"  said  one  of  the  chiefs.  "Don't  drive  my 
people  away,  they  are  peaceable  people." 

"I  won't  be  quiet,"  said  Turtle.  "This  is  my  island, 
I  do  as  I  please  here.  I  don't  want  you  around.  Go 
away ! ' ' 

"We  will  go  across  the  lake,"  said  the  chief. 

Turtle  followed  the  crowd  to  the  edge  of  the  lake.  There 
everybody  jumped  into  the  water,  and  swam  away.  When 
they  came  out  on  mainland  one  of  the  chiefs  said,  "We 
will  sit  down  here." 

The  people  sat  down,  and  again  the  chiefs  tried  to  make 


98  SENECA    MYTHS 

Inchworm  say  that  he  would  leave  his*  place  in  the  woods, 
when  he  refused  they  talked  to  him  and  scolded  till  they 
saw  a  dark  object  coming  toward  them,  then  they  stopped 
talking  and  watched.  At  last  Rabbit  said,  "That  is  an 
enemy  of  ours;  that  is  Blue  Lizard.  I  am  going.  I  don't 
want  him  to  chase  me. ' ' 

He  stood  up  and  called  to  the  people  to  come  with  him. 
All  went,  except  Inchworm.  He  thought,  "Lizard  doesn't 
want  to  kill  me;  I'll  stay  here.,, 

When  Blue  Lizard  came  up  he  asked,  "Where  is  the 
council  ? ' ' 

"The  chiefs  have  gone  to  the  other  side  of  the  lake/' 
said  Inchworm. 

"I  thought  I  would  come  to  the  meeting,' '  said  Lizard. 
"I  am  friendly,  I  don't  want  to  kill  anybody.  Why  did 
they  go  away?" 

"They  are  afraid  of  you,"  said  Inchworm.  "I  don't 
like  those  chiefs.  I  can't  say  anything  to  them;  they  won't 
listen ;  they  want  me  to  leave  the  forest  where  I  live. ' ' 

"Why  do  they  want  you  to  leave  your  home?"  asked 
Lizard.  ' '  I  think  you  had  better  go  back  to  your  cabin  and 
stay  there.  I  will  stay  here  till  they  come  again  and  if  they 
are  cross,  because  I  have  sent  you  back  to  the  woods,  I 
will  fight  them.  It  won't  do  to  drive  a  person  out  of  the 
place  where  his  home  is ;  that 's  why  I  want  you  to  go  back. 
Don't  be  afraid  of  those  people.    I  will  fight  them!" 

Inchworm  went  home  and  Blue  Lizard  waited  for  the 
people  to  come  back. 

When  Inchworm  got  home  he  cooked  some  meat,  ate 
it,  and  then  went  to  sleep.  While  sleeping  he  dreamed 
that  somebody  came  to  his  cabin,  and  said,  "I  am  here  to 
tell  you  that  trouble  is  coming  and  to  tell  you  what  to  do. 
If  you  want  to  live,  pile  up  meat  on  your  couch  and  under 
it,  then  start  off.  Go  north  till  you  come  to  a  high  cliff; 
climb  the  cliff  and  stay  there  till  morning,  your  life  de- 
pends upon  this."    The  voice  stopped. 

Inchworm  piled  meat  on  to  the  couch,  and  under  it, 
threw  his  blanket  over  the  couch,  and  started  off,  going 
toward  the  North.  When  he  came  to  a  cliff  he  climbed  it 
and  lay  down  where  there  was  nice  green  grass,  and  soon 
he  was  asleep. 


DEATH    OF   INCHWORM  99 

The  council  sent  Nyagwaihe  (the  Ancient  of  Bears) 
to  kill  Inchworm.  He  went  into  Inchworm's  cabin,  pulled 
the  skin  blanket  from  the  couch  and  saying  in  his 
mind,  "Here  is  the  man  I'm  to  kill,"  he  ate  all  the  meat, 
thinking  he  was  eating  Inchworm.  Then  he  went  back 
to  the  council,  and  said,  "Inchworm  is  dead;  IVe  killed 
him." 

The  next  morning  Inchworm  woke  up  and  started  for 
home.  When  he  got  there,  he  found  that  the  meat  he  had 
put  on  the  couch  and  under  it  had  been  eaten,  not  even  a 
bone  was  left.  He  cleaned  his  house,  cooked,  and  after 
he  had  eaten  he  said  in  his  mind,  "I'll  go  to  Dry  Island 
and  say  a  few  words  to  Turtle,  but  first  I'll  send  a  mes- 
senger to  tell  him  that  I  am  coming." 

He  called  Yellowbird  and  sent  him  to  tell  Turtle  that 
he  would  be  there  in  two  days,  that  he  wanted  to  say  a 
few  words  to  him. 

Yellowbird  did  as  he  was  told.  Turtle  said,  "Let  him 
come.  This  is  the  way  to  do ;  when  a  person  wants  to  talk 
with  me,  he  should  send  a  messenger  to  tell  me  that  he  is 
coming. ' ' 

After  two  days  Inchworm  started.  He  reached  the 
lake  and  swam  across  to  the  island,  then  looked  around 
for  Turtle's  house.  Soon  he  saw  an  underground  house 
in  the  middle  of  the  island  and  going  to  it  knocked  on  the 
door.  When  Turtle  got  up  to  open  the  door  he  began  to 
scold  and  he  scolded  till  he  came  out  of  the  house.  Inch- 
worm  was  frightened  and  backed  away.  Turtle  laughed, 
stopped  scolding,  and  said,  "Come  back,  I  am  ready  to 
talk." 

Inchworm  said,  "I  came  to  talk  about  the  council  that 
was  here,  and  to  ask  you  to  be  my  friend.  You  are  of  the 
same  mind  that  I  am :  you  want  to  keep  your  home  as  long 
as  you  live.  Those  chiefs  say  that  I  must  leave  the  forest 
where  I  have  always  been.  I  don't  want  to  leave,  I  want 
you  to  be  my  friend  so  we  can  hold  the  places  where  we 
live." 

Turtle  said,  "I  like  what  you  say,  and  I  will  help  you. 
I  will  tell  you  what  to  do.  Whenever  you  want  to  come 
here  send  a  messenger  to  say  that  you  are  coming." 

"Now  I  am  going,"  said  Inchworm.     When  he  got  to 


100  SENECA    MYTHS 

the  lake,  he  ran  on  the  water,  he  didn't  swim  as  he  had 
when  coming.    He  traveled  quickly  and  was  soon  at  home. 

Some  days  later  Inchworm  heard,  off  in  the  East,  a 
loud  noise,  then  he  heard  it  again  and  nearer  his  house. 
"Well,"  said  he  in  his  mind,  "my  friend  said  he  would 
tell  me  what  to  do  if  an  enemy  came.  I  don't  think  that 
noise  is  made  by  anyone  coming  to  fight  with  me."  But 
he  stayed  in  the  cabin  and  watched.  Soon  he  saw  Nyag- 
waihb  so  near  the  cabin  that  there  was  no  chance  to  run 
away  from  him.  Then  Inchworm  thought,  "It  must  be 
that  the  end  of  my  life  has  come. ' ' 

Nyagwaihe  came  in,  but  Inchworm  wasn't  afraid.  He 
laughed,  and  said,  "You  are  a  fine  looking  man,  I  will 
give  you  a  name  that  will  help  you  always.  I  will  call  you 
Shag6ya'dogedas  (He  drives  them  away)." 

"I  don't  like  that  name,  I  never  act  in  that  way." 

"I  will  call  you  Shag6noges  (He  torments  them)." 

"I  don't  want  that  name." 

"I  will  call  you  Daeddzongo  (Soaked  with  Earth)." 

"That  will  do,  I'll  take  that  name." 

(Inchworm  didn't  know  that  each  night  the  chiefs  held  a 
council  to  devise  a  way  to  kill  him.) 

Nyagwaihe  went  off  and  soon  Inchworm  heard  the 
voice  that  had  spoken  to  him  in  the  night.  It  was  the 
voice  of  Geha  (Wind)  and  the  voice  said,  "I  am  here  to 
help  you.  People  are  coming  to  kill  you.  I  will  tell  you 
how  to  overpower  them.  At  the  northern  end  of  this  forest 
you  will  find  a  weed  called  aweondago* ;  gather  that  weed 
and  plant  it  around  your  house ;  get  four  white  flint  stones 
and  put  one  stone  at  each  corner  of  the  house,  outside. 
Then  bring  wood  and  pile  it  up  around  the  house.  On 
the  tenth  day  set  fire  to  the  wood.  That  day  the  chiefs 
will  come  to  kill  you.    This  is  all." 

"Why  do  the  chiefs  want  to  kill  me,"  asked  Inchworm. 

The  voice  didn't  answer. 

Inchworm  put  on  his  best  clothes,  took  his  bow  and 
arrows  and  went  for  the  weed.  In  the  woods  he  couldn't 
walk  very  fast.  Before  he  got  far,  night  came.  He  looked 
around  for  a  hollow  tree,  found  one,  and  crept  into  it. 
The  next  morning  he  went  on,  traveled  all  day  asking  in 
his  mind,  "When  will  I  get  to  the  end  of  my  journey?" 


DEATH    OF   INCHWORM  101 

Another  night  came.  He  looked  around  for  a  hollow 
tree,  found  one  and  crawled  into  it.  When  almost  astaep 
he  heard  a  noise  like  footsteps.  He  listened.  The  steps 
came  nearer  and  he  heard  two  men  talking,  one  said,  "I 
think  this  is  a  hollow  tree,"  the  other  said,  "Let's  crawl 
into  it,  but  first  we  must  know  how  big  the  hole  is.  Pound 
on  the  tree  and  find  out." 

Inchworm  backed  into  the  hole  as  far  as  he  could,  and 
kept  still. 

The  two  men  were  of  the  Woodcock  people.  They 
crawled  into  the  hole,  and  soon  one  of  them  said,  "It 
seems  to  me  there  is  somebody  in  here." 

' '  I  don 't  think  there  is  anyone  here,  but  ourselves, ' '  said 
the  other  man. 

The  next  morning  the  two  men  got  out  of  the  tree  and 
went  off  toward  the  West.  Soon  after  Inchworm  crawled 
out  and  looked  around.  When  he  saw  the  two  men  he 
whooped ;  they  heard  him  and  one  asked  the  other,  ' '  Who 
is  that  whooping?  Let's  go  back,  maybe  it's  the  man  we 
are  hunting  for." 

They  found  Inchworm  sitting  on  the  ground  near  the 
hollow  tree. 

"Where  did  you  come  from?"  asked  one  of  the  men. 

"From  Broken  Land." 

"Do  you  know  the  man  who  lives  in  the  woods?" 

"I  don't  know  him." 

"Why  are  you  here?    Where  are  you  going?" 

"I'm  traveling  through  the  forest  to  see  how  the  coun- 
try looks  where  the  sun  goes  down." 

"We  are  going  to  that  country,"  said  one  of  the  men. 
"We  will  go  with  you." 

"  I  am  not  going  now.    I  must  stop  and  hunt  for  game. ' ' 

"We  will  stay  with  you ;  maybe  we  can  help  you.  Where 
will  you  camp  ? ' ' 

' '  I  will  look  around  and  see  where  there  is  a  good  place. 
You  can  look  for  one  too." 

Inchworm  went  in  one  direction,  the  two  men  in  an- 
other. When  Inchworm  got  out  of  sight,  he  started  off 
toward  the  North. 

At  midday  the  two  men  came  back  to  the  hollow  tree, 
but  Inchworm  wasn't  there. 


102  SENECA    MYTHS 

Just  at  midday  Inchworm  reached  the  edge  of  the 
fcrost.  and  began,  to  look  for  the  weed.  He  found  it  and 
in  a  short  time  gathsred  a  big  bundle  of  it,  then  he  started 
for  home.  Near  sunset  he  came  to  the  hollow  tree  and 
found  the  two  men  there;  they  had  killed  game  and  were 
roasting  some  of  the  meat.  When  they  saw  Inchworm, 
one  asked,  " Where  have  you  been  all  day?" 

1 '  Oh,  around  here,  not  far  away, ' '  said  Inchworm. 

"We  have  plenty  of  meat/'  said  the  man.  "Come  and 
eat  with  us." 

Inchworm  put  his  bundle  down,  ate,  and  rested.  The 
next  morning  when  the  men  began  to  cook,  Inchworm 
said,  "I  will  go  into  the  woods  a  little  way,  I  will  be 
back  before  you  are  through  eating."  And,  taking  his 
bundle,  he  started  off  toward  the  East.  When  out  of  sight, 
he  ran  as  fast  as  he  could  and  was  at  home  before  midday. 
He  put  down  his  bundle  of  weeds  and  went  for  the  white 
flint,  found  the  stones  and  took  them  to  the  cabin. 

The  next  morning  he  went  into  the  forest  to  look  for 
dry  boughs  and  pieces  of  wood.  When  he  had  gathered 
a  large  pile  he  carried  it  home,  a  load  at  a  time,  and  put 
it  down  near  the  cabin.  At  the  end  of  six  days  he  said 
in  his  mind,  "I  have  enough  wood,  now  I  will  plant  the 
aweonddgo11," 

He  planted  the  weed;  put  a  white  flint  stone  at  each 
corner  of  the  cabin  outside,  and  piled  up  the  wood  around 
the  cabin. 

The  next  morning  Inchworm  said  in  his  mind,  "At 
midday  the  chiefs  will  come."  Just  before  midday  he 
set  fire  to  the  wood;  it  blazed  up  quickly,  made  a  great 
fire. 

When  the  chiefs  came  Rabbit  said,  "  Inchworm 'a  house 
is  burning  up." 

Gasyondetha  (Meteor)  said,  "Let  us  find  out  which 
one  of  us  has  the  greatest  power,"  and  he  sprang  into 
the  fire.  The  burning  was  not  as  wide  as  he  thought;  he 
came  down  between  the  fire  and  the  cabin  and  straight 
on  to  a  sharp  flint  stone,  he  was  impaled  and  couldn't 
move.  He  saw  that  the  cabin  was  not  burning,  that  there 
were  beautiful  plants  growing  around  it,  and  they  were 


DEATH    OF   INCHWORM  103 

covered  with  bright  red  blossoms.  He  began  to  cry  and 
he  cried  louder  and  louder. 

Inchworm  said,  "Somebody  is  crying;  I'll  go  and  see 
who  it  is." 

When  he  saw  Meteor  he  asked,  "What  are  you  doing 
there?" 

The  man  was  crying  so  hard  that  at  first  he  couldn't 
answer,  but  after  a  while  he  said,  "I  came  here  to  visit 
you." 

"Where  are  the  other  chiefs?" 

"They  are  in  the  fire."  They  had  jumped  in  to  test 
their  power,  and  not  able  to  get  out  had  burned  to  death. 

Inchworm  said,  "You  came  here  to  kill  me,"  and  he 
reproached  Meteor  till  the  man  gave  up  his  enmity,  and 
said,  "I  will  be  your  friend  and  give  you  my  power." 
Then  Inchworm  stopped  his  reproaches. 

"Let  us  go  into  the  cabin,"  said  the  chief. 

Inchworm  was  angry;  he  asked,  "Do  you  think  this 
is  your  cabin?" 

"No." 

"Then  why  did  you  say,  'Let  us  go  in'?" 

"I  just  said  it,  that's  all.  I  didn't  mean  anything 
wrong." 

"Well,  we  will  be  friends,"  said  Inchworm.  He  went 
into  the  cabin  and,  looking  back,  thought,  "Where  is  my 
friend?"  He  went  out  and  found  Meteor  standing  on 
the  flint  stone;  he  couldn't  move.  Inchworm  took  him 
by  the  hand  and  pulled  him  from  the  flint.  Then  they 
went  into  the  cabin  and  sat  down  and  talked,  and  became 
good  friends. 

Just  at  sundown  the  fire  around  the  cabin  went  out. 
The  weeds  that  Inchworm  had  planted  kept  the  cabin 
from  burning. 

One  morning  after  Meteor  had  made  Inchworm  a  long 
visit,  he  said,  "I  am  going  home  now,"  and  he  started  off. 

Inchworm  was  alone,  but  he  had  plenty  to  eat  and 
was  happy.  One  morning  he  heard  footsteps  outside;  he 
sat  still,  but  he  said  in  his  mind,  "Meteor  is  coming  again." 

He  listened  and  when  some  one  knocked  on  the  door,  he 
called  out,  "Why  don't  you  come  in?" 

The  door  opened  slowly;   Inchworm  watched  sharply, 


104  SENECA    MYTHS 

soon  a  beautiful  woman  of  the  Blackbird  people  came  in, 
and  said  to  him,  "I  have  come  to  marry  you,  my  old  folks 
sent  me  here.,, 

Inchworm  hung  his  head,  "What  shall  I  do?"  thought 
he,  then  he  looked  up,  and  asked,  "Will  trouble  come  of 
this!" 

"No,"  said  the  woman,  "I  want  to  live  in  peace." 

"I'll  marry  you,"  said  Inchworm. 

Some  days  later  the  woman  began  to  scold;  she  scolded 
all  day. 

Toward  night  Inchworm  said,  "I  am  tired.  You  scold 
all  the  time,  you  must  go  home." 

"Ill  stop  scolding,"  said  the  woman. 

"I  don't  believe  you.  It  won't  be  quiet  with  you  here, 
you  must  go." 

He  went  to  where  she  was  sitting,  took  her  by  the  hair, 
dragged  her  to  the  door  and  pushed  her  out.  When  she 
was  outside  he  said,  "Now  go  away,  and  never  come  back 
to  this  cabin." 

She  went  away,  crying. 

One  morning,  a  few  days  later,  Inchworm  sat  on  the 
flint  stone  at  one  corner  of  his  house,  and  said  to  himself, 
"I  feel  weak  this  morning."  He  looked  around  in  the 
woods  and  thought, ' '  I  wish  my  wife  were  here,  I  am  sorry 
that  I  drove  her  away." 

He  thought  about  it  all  day.  Towards  night  a  man 
came,  and  said,  "I  have  come  with  a  message  from  your 
friend,  who  lives  on  Dry  Island.    He  wants  to  visit  you." 

Inchworm  said,  ' i  Tell  him  to  come  two  days  from  now. ' ' 

Two  days  later,  Inchworm,  forgetting  that  Turtle  was 
coming,  said  in  his  mind,  "I'm  going  East  this  morning." 
He  traveled  along  till  at  midday  he  came  to  the  end  of 
the  forest  and  off  in  the  distance  saw  a  village.  He  went 
to  the  village,  but  every  house  was  empty.  At  last,  at  the 
east  end  of  the  village  he  saw  smoke  and  going  toward  it 
found  a  hut.  In  the  hut  was  a  very  old  woman.  When 
she  heard  some  one  come  in  she  stood  up  and  raised  a 
mallet.  Inchworm  saw  the  mallet  and  hurried  out  of 
the  hut  as  fast  as  he  could.  Outside  he  stood  around  to 
see  what  would  happen.  Just  then  he  remembered  about 
Turtle's  visit. 


DEATH    OF   INCHWORM  105 

"I  must  go  home,"  thought  he.  "My  friend  is  coming 
to-day,  but  first  I'll  burn  this  old  woman's  hut.  I  don't 
like  the  way  she  has  acted  toward  me." 

He  burned  the  hut  with  the  old  woman  in  it,  then  ran 
home  as  fast  as  he  could,  but  when  he  came  to  the  clearing 
where  his  cabin  had  been  there  was  nothing  there  but  a 
pile  of  dead  coals. 

"My  friend  has  burned  my  house,"  said  he.  "I'll  kill 
my  friend.  If  I  can't  kill  him,  I'll  punish  him  in  some 
way, ' '  and  he  hurried  off  to  Dry  Island. 

"When  he  came  to  Turtle's  house  in  the  middle  of  the 
island  he  jumped  into  it,  but  no  one  was  there.  He  went 
outside,  set  fire  to  the  place  and  waited  around  till  only 
dead  coals  were  left,  then  he  went  to  the  other  side  of  the 
lake.  As  he  stood  on  the  bank,  listening,  he  heard  some 
one  scolding;  Turtle  had  come  back  to  Dry  Island  and 
found  his  house  burned.  He  was  mad  and  kept  saying, 
"I'll  kill  my  friend!  I'll  kill  my  friend!"  He  crossed 
the  lake  and  went  to  where  Inchworm  was  waiting  for 
him.  Right  away  they  began  to  fight.  They  fought  all 
day  and  all  night,  fought  five  days  and  five  nights,  and 
then  their  bodies  were  gone,  only  their  heads  were  left. 
The  heads  fought  till  the  seventh  morning,  then,  worn  out, 
both  died  at  the  same  time. 


GAQGA' 


Characters 

Gaqga' Kaven 

Dzod jogis   Blackbirds 

Gai'sge11  se Ground-birds 

Ganogeshegea Sparrows 

D  jeonyaik Kobin 

Hanisheono11 Muck- worm 


RAVEN  was  traveling  but  he  didn't  know  whence  he 
,  came  or  whither  he  was  going.  As  he  journeyed 
along  he  was  thinking,  "How  did  I  come  to  be  alive? 
Where  did  I  come  from?  Where  am  I  going V  After 
traveling  a  long  time  he  saw  a  smoke  and  going  toward  it 
saw  four  hunters — blackbirds.  Afraid  to  go  near  them 
he  hid  in  the  forest  and  watched. 

The  next  morning  after  the  hunters  had  started  away, 
Raven  crept  up  to  their  camp,  stole  their  meat,  carried 
it  into  the  woods  and  made  a  camp  for  himself.  He  was 
lonely  and  he  said,  "I  wish  there  were  other  people  here." 
Looking  around  he  saw  a  house  west  of  his  camp  and  going 
to  it  found  Robin  and  his  wife  and  five  children.  Raven 
ate  the  youngest  child,  then  ate  the  other  four.  The  father 
and  mother  tried  to  drive  him  away,  but  could  not.  When 
at  last  Raven  went  off  he  left  old  Rabin  and  his  wife  cry- 
ing for  their  children. 

Sometime  after  this,  Raven  saw  a  camp  off  in  the  south- 

106 


GAQGA'  107 

east  and  going  there  found  a  family  of  Sparrows.  He 
was  afraid  of  the  old  people  and  he  ran  off,  but  they  fol- 
lowed him,  caught  up  and  hit  him  on  the  head  till  they 
drove  him  far  away. 

" It  is  a  shame  to  let  such  little  people  beat  me!"  thought 
Raven.    But  he  was  afraid  to  go  back. 

Now  Raven  had  gone  far  from  his  camp;  he  hunted 
everywhere  in  the  forest  but  couldn't  find  it.  "Well," 
said  he  at  last,  "let  it  go,  I  don't  care!"  and  he  walked 
away  toward  the  North.  Just  before  dark,  he  found  a 
camp  and  going  towards  it  saw  four  men  and  a  large 
quantity  of  meat.  He  hid  in  the  forest  and  the  next  morn- 
ing, looking  toward  the  camp,  he  again  saw  the  hunters. 

"I'll  wait  till  they  go  away,"  thought  Raven,  "then 
I'll  steal  their  meat."  Soon  he  heard  the  men  moving 
around,  then  all  was  quiet  and  he  knew  that  they  had 
gone.  He  crept  slowly  toward  the  camp,  but  when  he 
reached  it  he  didn't  find  even  one  bite  of  meat — they  were 
the  hunters  from  whom  he  had  stolen  before.  They  had 
finished  hunting,  had  packed  their  meat  and  started  for 
home. 

Raven  was  disappointed.  He  walked  on  and  toward 
night  found  another  camp.  Creeping  near  it,  he  again 
saw  the  four  hunters.  He  listened  to  what  they  were 
saying. 

One  said,  "I  wonder  who  stole  our  meat  that  day?" 

Another  said,  "I  think  the  thief  is  walking  around  in 
the  woods,  I  think  his  name  is  Raven." 

"Oh,"  thought  Raven,  "they  are  talking  about  me. 
They  will  be  on  the  watch.  How  can  I  get  their  meat?" 
Then  he  said,  ' '  Let  them  fall  asleep  and  sleep  soundly ! ' ' 

That  minute  the  four  hunters  fell  asleep.  Raven  went 
up  boldly,  took  their  meat,  carried  it  off  into  the  woods 
and  hid  it,  saying,  "This  is  the  kind  of  man  I  am!" 

The  next  morning  the  four  hunters  missed  their  meat. 

One  said,  * '  Somebody  has  stolen  my  meat ! ' ' 

Another  asked,  "Who  has  stolen  my  meat?" 

The  third  said,  "I  dreamed  that  I  saw  Raven  around 
here  and  he  started  off  toward  the  Southwest." 

Then  the  four  said,  "Let  us  follow  the  direction  given 
by  the  dream." 


108  SENECA    MYTHS 

The  hunters  started  to  follow  the  thief.  Soon  they  came 
to  the  place  where  he  was  camped.  Raven  had  been  out 
all  night  and  now  he  was  sleeping  soundly. 

One  of  the  men  said,  "We  must  kill  him." 

"No,"  said  another,  "let  him  live,  he  didn't  kill  us 
while  we  were  asleep." 

They  took  their  meat  and  went  away. 

When  Raven  woke  up,  he  was  very  hungry,  but  the 
meat  was  gone.  "Well,"  thought  he,  "I  must  hunt  for 
something  to  eat."  He  traveled  around  in  every  direction 
but  found  no  game.  About  midday  he  heard  the  noise  of 
people.  He  listened  a  while  then  went  on  till  he  came 
to  a  house.  A  man  inside  the  house  was  singing  and  the 
song  said,  " Raven  is  coming!  Look  out!  Be  careful! 
Raven  is  coming!" 

"Why  does  he  sing  about  me?"  thought  Raven,  "I'll 
go  in  and  find  out." 

He  went  into  the  house  and  found  Ground-bird  and 
his  wife  and  four  children. 

"I  have  come  to  stay  a  few  days  with  you,"  said  Raven. 

"Very  well,"  said  the  man. 

That  night  Raven  ate  the  four  children,  then  he  lay  down 
and  slept. 

The  next  morning  the  father  and  mother  asked,  "Where 
are  our  children?" 

Raven  said,  "I  dreamed  that  a  man  came  and  carried 
your  children  off,  and  my  dream  told  me  which  way  he 
went.    I  will  go  with  you  and  hunt  for  them." 

When  the  three  had  traveled  some  distance  Raven  said, 
"The  man  who  stole  your  children  lives  on  that  high  cliff 
over  there.  1  can 't  go  there  with  you,  for  I  don 't  like  that 
man.    I  will  wait  here  till  you  come  back." 

As  soon  as  the  father  and  mother  were  out  of  sight, 
Raven  ran  off.  He  traveled  till  he  came  to  where  there 
were  many  of  his  own  people.  They  were  dancing  and  he 
sat  down  to  watch  them. 

Soon  Muck- worm  was  seen  coming  from  the  East.  The 
people  stopped  dancing  and  ran  in  every  direction,  but 
Muck-worm  pursued  them  and  catching  one  after  another 
by  the  neck  he  threw  them  aside  dead. 

Raven,  who  was  watching,  thought,  "What  sort  of  a 


GAQGA'  109 

man  is  that?  I  wish  he  would  see  me.  He  can't  throw 
me  off  dead,  in  that  way." 

Muck-worm,  after  killing  many  of  the  Raven  people, 
started  toward  the  West,  Raven  followed  him.  Muck- 
worm kept  on  for  a  long  time  without  seeming  to  know 
that  there  was  anyone  behind  him,  but  at  last  he  stopped, 
looked  back,  and  asked,  "What  do  you  want?" 

"I  don't  want  anything,"  said  Raven,  "I've  come  to 
be  company  for  you." 

"I  don't  want  company,"  said  Muck-worm. 

Raven  was  frightened.  Both  men  stood  still  for  a 
minute  then  Muck-worm  sprang  at  Raven  and  caught  him. 
He  would  have  killed  him,  but  Raven  screamed  so  loudly 
that  many  of  his  people  heard  the  cry  and  came  to  his 
aid.    They  flew  at  Muck-worm  and  pecked  him  to  death. 


THE  THUNDEE  BOY 


Characters 


Hiko* Thnnder 

HiNo'HOHAWAnK   Thunder's  Son 

YEGEnHDJi,  In  one  version  of  this  story  Yegedhji,s 
mother  was  He°es  (Panther) 


A  POOR  old  woman  lived  in  a  smoky  little  cabin  in 
the  woods.  She  was  only  skin  and  bones  and  she 
cried  all  the  time,  both  day  and  night.  Her  blanket  was 
so  old  and  dirty  that  nobody  could  have  told  of  what  kind 
of  skin  it  was  made. 

This  old  woman  had  had  seven  daughters.  Six  had 
been  carried  off,  one  after  another;  the  seventh  daughter 
died. 

The  daughter  who  died  had  been  buried  some  time  when 
one  night  her  mother  heard  crying.  She  took  a  torch  and 
going  out  toward  the  grave  found  a  naked  baby.  She 
wrapped  the  baby  in  her  blanket  and  took  it  home. 

The  baby,  a  little  boy,  grew  very  fast.  One  day  when 
the  grandmother  came  home  from  gathering  wood  he  was 
not  in  the  house  and  she  couldn't  find  him. 

That  night  there  was  a  storm  with  thunder  and  light- 
ning. In  the  morning  when  the  child  came  back  the  grand- 
mother asked,  "Where  have  you  been,  my  grandson? " 

"I  have  been  with  my  father;  he  took  me  home  with 
him." 

"Who  is  your  father?" 

"Hino'  is  my  father.  He  took  me  home  first,  then  we 
came  back  and  were  around  here  all  night." 

110 


THE    THUNDER   BOY  111 

"Was  my  daughter  your  mother?"  asked  the  old 
woman. 

"She  was/'  answered  the  boy,  "and  Hino'  is  my 
father." 

The  old  woman  believed  her  grandson.  As  the  boy  grew 
he  often  made  a  noise  like  the  noise  of  thunder  and  when- 
ever Hino'  came  to  the  neighborhood  the  child  went  out 
and  helped  his  father;  he  was  Hfsro 'hohawadk,  son  of 
Hino\ 

After  a  time  the  boy  asked  his  grandmother  where  his 
six  aunts  were,  and  she  said,  "Far  from  here  there  is  a 
mother  and  son  who  live  by  playing  dice.  Your  aunts 
went  there  with  a  company  of  people;  they  played,  were 
beaten  and  their  heads  were  cut  off.  Many  men  and 
women  have  gone  to  the  same  place  and  have  lost  their 
heads." 

"I  will  go  and  kill  that  woman  and  her  son,"  said  the 
boy. 

The  grandmother  tried  to  keep  him  at  home  but  he 
wouldn't  stay  with  her.  He  was  ragged  and  dirty.  He 
asked  her  to  make  him  two  pairs  of  moccasins.  She  made 
them,  and,  for  a  pouch,  she  gave  him  the  skin  of  a  flying 
squirrel. 

The  boy  started  off  toward  the  West  and  after  a  while 
he  came  to  a  large  opening  where  there  was  a  bark  house 
with  a  pole  in  front  of  it,  and  on  the  pole  hung  a  skin 
blanket.  He  heard  a  great  noise  and  saw  that  at  one  end 
of  the  opening  old  men  were  betting  and  boys  were  play- 
ing ball. 

When  people  saw  him,  one  said  to  another,  "Who  is 
that  boy?    Where  did  he  come  from?" 

Soon  an  old  man  went  up  to  HfNO,HOHAWAnK,  gave  him 
a  club  and  asked  him  to  play. 

He  played  ball  so  well  that  the  same  man  came  to  him, 
and  said,  "We  want  you  to  play  dice,  my  people  will  bet 
on  you." 

"I  don't  know  how  to  play  dice,"  answered  the  boy. 

"We  will  risk  our  heads  on  you,"  said  the  man. 

Young  HIno'  followed  the  old  man  to  the  pole  that 
stood  by  the  bark  house.  The  betting  woman  was  sitting 
there  on  an  elk  skin.     In  front  of  her  was  a  white  stone 


112  SENECA    MYTHS 

bowl  as  smooth  as  glass.  Hino  'hohawadk  knelt  down 
beside  the  bowl. 

The  woman  said,  "You  must  play  first." 

"No,"  said  he,  "you  must  play  first." 

The  woman  took  up  her  dice,  which  were  round  and 
made  out  of  stone.  She  blew  on  them,  threw  them  into 
the  bowl,  shook  the  bowl,  and  called  out,  ' '  Game !  Game ! ' ' 

The  dice  flew  up  in  the  air,  became  crows  and  cawed 
as  they  went  out  of  sight.  Soon  they  came  down,  cawing ; 
as  they  touched  the  bowl  they  were  stones  again. 

The  woman  had  three  plays  in  which  to  get  a  count  of 
seventeen.  She  threw  three  times,  but  made  no  score. 
Then  young  HIno'  took  dice  out  of  his  pouch  made  of  the 
skin  of  a  flying  squirrel.  The  woman  insisted  on  his  using 
her  dice,  but  he  refused.  He  put  his  dice  in  the  bowl  and 
shook  the  bowl.  The  dice  became  wild  ducks  and  flew  into 
the  air. 

The  ducks  went  very  high,  all  the  people  heard  them 
as  they  rose.  When  they  came  down  and  touched  the  bowl 
they  were  stones  and  scored  ten. 

HIno'  shook  the  bowl  again,  and  called  "Game!  Game!" 

The  old  woman  called  "No  game!  No  game!" 

The  ducks  flew  up  and  when  they  came  down  they 
scored  another  ten.  He  tried  a  third  time  and  scored  ten, 
then  he  called  to  the  people  to  come  and  see  him  cut  off 
the  head  of  the  betting  woman. 

"Wait,"  said  the  woman,  "You  must  play  ball  with 
my  son.    If  he  loses,  he  will  lose  his  head." 

HIno'  asked  the  old  men  what  he  should  do.  Seeing 
how  powerful  he  was,  they  said,  "Play." 

He  went  to  the  ball  ground — he  was  ragged  and  looked 
very  poor.  Only  the  two  played.  Hino  'hohawadk  sprang 
forward  and  knocked  the  club  out  of  Yegedhdji's  hand. 
The  young  man  ran  for  his  club,  but  before  he  could  get 
it,  HfNo'HOHA  sent  the  ball  through  the  goal.  This  was 
repeated  seven  times,  and  HfNo"s  son  won  the  game. 

Then  he  said  to  the  people,  "Now  you  can  destroy  the 
old  woman  and  her  son." 

They  did.  Then  the  young  boy  said,  "I  am  going  to 
bring  my  grandmother  to  this  place  and  we  will  have  this 
long  house  to  live  in," 


THE    THUNDER    BOY  113 

As  he  traveled  toward  home,  he  sang  praises  of  him- 
self, and  his  grandmother  heard  him  when  he  was  a  long 
way  off.  When  he  came  to  the  cabin  he  told  her  what  he 
had  done,  and  said,  "We  must  go  there  and  live  in  the 
long  house.,, 

She  made  ready  and  started,  but  it  took  a  long  time 
to  reach  the  place,  for  friends  went  with  them.  When 
all  had  settled  in  houses  built  around  the  opening  HfNo' 
hohX  called  the  people  to  the  long  house  for  a  dance. 
The  grandmother  threw  away  her  old  blanket  and  put  on 
the  clothes  left  by  the  gambling  woman  and  then  she 
looked  like  a  young  girl. 

After  a  time  Hino'hoha  went  off  with  HiNo',  his  father, 
and  stayed  with  him  all  Winter. 

When  Spring  came  the  grandmother  was  uneasy  about 
the  boy,  but  one  day  she  heard  Thunder  off  in  the  West 
and  soon  her  grandson  came  to  the  cabin. 

"Where  have  you  been?"  asked  she. 

"On  a  great  mountain  far  off  in  the  West.  I  have 
been  with  my  father,  helping  the  nations  and  protecting 
men." 

The  boy  stayed  with  his  grandmother  that  Spring  and 
Summer.  Once  in  a  while  when  it  began  to  storm,  he 
went  away,  but  he  always  came  back  when  the  storm  was 
over.  The  two  lived  a  long  time  in  this  way,  but  at  last 
the  boy  said,  "You  have  a  brother  living  in  the  West. 
Some  wizard  stole  him  from  you.  I  must  go  and  find 
him." 

And  he  went  West  to  look  for  his  uncle. 

HIno'iioha  traveled  till  he  came  to  a  cabin.  In  the 
cabin  a  woman  was  sitting  by  a  fire.  When  he  asked  where 
his  uncle  was  she  wouldn't  answer.  Taking  his  war  club 
from  his  pouch,  he  struck  her  on  the  head  and  killed  her. 
Then  he  went  out  and  walked  around  the  house,  mourning 
and  looking  for  his  uncle.  At  last  he  heard  a  man  groan- 
ing. He  looked  up  in  the  trees  for  he  couldn't  see  any- 
one on  the  ground,  but  the  man  was  not  in  a  tree. 

He  followed  the  sound  and  soon  came  to  a  large  slip- 
pery elm  tree.  A  man  lay  under  the  tree;  he  was  held 
down  by  great  roots;  his  head  came  out  between  two 
roots  on  one  side  and  his  feet  between  two  roots  on  the 


114  SENECA    MYTHS 

other  side.  The  tree  stood  on  the  middle  of  his  body. 
He  was  calling  to  his  nephew  to  give  him  a  smoke. 

Hino'hoha  said,  "Oh,  my  poor  uncle,  how  badly  off 
you  are!     I  will  give  you  a  smoke  right  away." 

He  kicked  the  tree  over,  saying,  "Rise  up,  uncle!" 

The  man  stood  up  at  once,  and  was  well.  Hino'hoha 
took  out  his  pouch  and  gave  the  old  man  a  stone  pipe  and 
Indian  tobacco,  and  he  grew  strong.  Then  he  told  his 
nephew  how  a  woman  had  enticed  him  to  go  with  her, 
then  she  ate  him  up  and  put  his  bones  under  the  elm  tree. 

The  uncle  and  nephew  went  to  the  long  house.  The  old 
grandmother  was  surprised  and  glad  and  the  three  lived 
happily  together  till  one  day  the  nephew  went  off  in  a 
storm  and  when  the  storm  was  over  he  brought  back  a 
wife.  Then  when  he  went  off  with  a  storm  his  wife  was 
uneasy.  The  woman  didn't  know  where  she  was  from. 
In  a  terrible  storm  Hino'hoha  had  brought  her  home  on 
his  back. 

After  a  time  she  had  a  son  and  when  the  boy  was  old 
enough  to  run  around,  the  uncle,  whose  bones  had  lain 
under  the  elm  tree,  began  to  teach  him,  and  soon  the  child 
was  able  to  make  a  noise  like  the  roar  of  thunder. 

One  day  the  child  followed  his  mother  out  of  the  house ; 
he  had  a  little  dog  and  that  followed  too.  As  the  boy 
was  running  along  somebody  seized  him  and  rushed  off. 
The  dog  ran  after  him,  and,  jumping  to  snatch  him  away, 
caught  hold  of  his  feet  and  pulled  off  his  moccasins;  the 
dog  carried  the  moccasins  home. 

When  the  mother  saw  the  moccasins,  she  knew  that  her 
boy  was  gone.  The  father  was  off  in  a  storm.  When  he 
came  home  the  woman  asked  if  he  had  taken  the  boy 
away. 

* '  I  have  not, ' '  said  he. 

"Oh,  he  is  lost;  he  is  lost!"  cried  the  woman. 

"He  is  safe,"  said  H!no'hoha.  "He  has  many  rela- 
tives around  the  world,  uncles  and  cousins." 

The  boy  was  gone  all  Winter,  but  one  day  in  Spring  he 
came  home  with  his  father.  Then  Hino'hoha  said  to  his 
family,  "We  must  all  go  and  live  with  my  father." 

The  old  grandmother  said,  "I  can't  go;  it  is  far  and  I 
am  old." 


THE    THUNDER    BOY  115 

"I  will  carry  you,"  said  the  grandson. 

Then  Hino'hoha  began  to  thunder,  and  lightning  flew 
around.  The  long  house  was  torn  to  pieces  and  blazed  up 
in  flames.  All  the  rocks  and  houses  and  trees  in  the  open- 
ing were  destroyed.  Hino'hohA  and  his  people  rose  up 
in  the  air.  The  East  wind  blew  and  it  bore  them  to  the 
high  mountain  in  the  West  and  there  they  found  old  HfNo'. 

And  to  this  day  the  Thunder  family  live  on  that  moun- 
tain in  caves  and  among  rocks. 


GRANDFATHER  AND  GRANDSON  AND  AN 
EAGLE  WOMAN 

[Told  by  John  Armstrong] 


Characters 


Dagwanoedyent Cyclone  or  Whirlwind 

Gasyondetha Meteor 

Do'nyonda Bald  Eagle 


A  GRANDFATHER  and  grandson  lived  far  away 
from  any  village.  All  the  people  of  their  nation 
had  been  carried  off.  The  grandfather  was  very  careful 
of  his  grandson  for  he  was  the  only  comfort  he  had. 

One  day  the  boy  ran  into  the  cabin,  and  said,  ''Grand- 
father, I  heard  something  out  in  the  woods  crying,  'kidjidi! 
UdpdiV  » 

"Oh,"  said  the  grandfather,  "that  was  a  chickadee, 
that  is  the  first  game  hunters  kill." 

The  boy  went  out  with  his  bow  and  arrows  and  after 
many  attempts  he  killed  a  chickadee.  When  he  took  it 
home  the  old  man  danced  with  joy,  singing  as  he  danced, 
"My  grandson  will  be  a  great  hunter!  My  grandson  will 
be  a  great  hunter!" 

Another  day  the  boy  ran  in  crying,  "0  Grandfather, 
I've  seen  something  with  four  legs,  and  a  tail  with  four 
black  stripes  around  it!" 

"That  was  a  coon,"  said  the  grandfather.  "That  is 
the  second  game  hunters  kill." 

116 


GRANDFATHER  AND  GRANDSON     117 

The  boy  killed  a  coon,  and  the  old  man  danced  and  sang, 
* '  Oh,  my  grandson  will  be  a  great  hunter !  Oh,  my  grand- 
son will  be  a  great  hunter ! ' ' 

The  next  day  the  boy  ran  in  crying,  "0,  Grandfather, 
I've  seen  a  strange  thing  walking  on  two  legs.  Red  skin 
hangs  from  its  head,  and  it  makes  a  great  noise." 

"That  was  a  turkey,"  said  the  grandfather.  "That  is 
the  third  game  a  hunter  kills. ' ? 

The  boy  went  to  the  woods  and  when  he  saw  a  flock 
of  turkeys,  he  ran  till  he  caught  one  of  them.  Again  the 
old  man  danced  and  sang,  "My  grandson  will  be  a  great 
hunter. ' ' 

The  boy  went  out  another  day  and  saw  a  long  creature 
with  thin  legs  and  something,  like  the  branches  of  a  tree, 
on  its  head.  He  was  frightened;  he  ran  home  and  told 
his  grandfather  what  he  had  seen.  The  old  man  said, 
"That  is  the  fourth  and  largest  game;  that  was  a  deer. 
When  a  man  can  kill  a  deer  he  is  a  good  hunter." 

The  next  day  the  boy  killed  a  deer. 

The  old  man  didn't  dance  or  sing  this  time;  it  was  a 
solemn  occasion.  He  taught  the  boy  how  to  dress  the 
deer  and  stretch  the  skin,  then  he  said,  "You  are  a  young 
man  now.  You  needn't  run  in  to  tell  me  what  you  have 
seen,  kill  anything  that  comes  along.  A  man  that  can 
kill  a  deer  can  kill  all  kinds  of  game.  When  hunting  you 
can  go  in  any  direction  except  the  North,  wicked  women 
live  in  the  North;  women  who  have  killed  many  of  our 
people." 

The  young  man  went  toward  the  South,  but  he  kept 
thinking  about  the  women  who  had  killed  his  relatives 
and  at  last  he  turned  and  went  North.  After  a  time  he 
came  to  a  tree  that  was  covered  with  scratches,  like  the 
scratches  made  by  a  coon's  nails.  He  said  in  his  mind, 
' '  It  must  be  that  there  are  a  great  many  coons  in  this  tree. ' ' 

He  threw  off  his  blanket,  took  a  stick  and  his  bow  and 
arrows  and  climbed  up  till  he  came  to  a  hole  in  the  tree; 
he  looked  into  the  hole  and,  seeing  a  number  of  coons, 
poked  his  stick  down,  killed  two  or  three  of  them,  pulled 
them  up  and  threw  them  to  the  ground.  As  he  did  this 
he  looked  down  and  he  saw,  near  the  foot  of  the  tree,  a 
beautiful  young  woman. 


118  SENECA    MYTHS 

As  soon  as  he  saw  her,  she  called  out,  "Come  down,  I 
want  to  talk  to  you." 

He  paid  no  attention  to  the  woman,  but  kept  on  killing 
coons.  She  called  again  and  again.  At  last  he  went  to  the 
other  side  of  the  tree,  turned  himself  into  a  red-headed 
woodpecker  and  went  up  the  tree  pecking  the  bark.  When 
he  got  to  the  top  he  shot  an  arrow  off  toward  home.  The 
arrow  whizzed  through  the  air,  making  a  noise  like  a  wood- 
pecker. 

The  woman,  thinking  that  the  boy  was  in  the  arrow, 
hurried  after  it. 

The  young  man  took  his  own  form,  slipped  down  from 
the  tree,  put  on  his  clothes,  gathered  up  the  coons  and 
went  home.  The  grandfather  was  glad  to  get  the  coons, 
but  when  he  knew  where  his  grandson  had  been  he  was 
angry.  "You  must  not  go  there  again,"  said  he.  "If 
you  do,  great  harm  will  come  to  us." 

The  next  day  the  young  man  started  off  toward  the 
South,  but  when  out  of  sight  he  turned  and  went  North. 
He  went  beyond  the  first  tree  and  came  to  a  second  tree 
covered  with  scratches.  He  climbed  the  tree  and  killed 
a  number  of  coons,  then  he  looked  down  and  saw,  sitting 
on  a  log,  near  the  foot  of  the  tree,  the  same  young  woman. 
As  soon  as  he  saw  her,  she  began  to  urge  him  to  come  down. 
She  talked  with  enticing  words.  He  knew  that  he  ought 
not  to  go,  but  the  feeling  came  into  his  heart  that  he 
wanted  to.  He  went  half  way  and  stopped.  Again  the 
woman  urged.  At  last  he  went  to  the  ground  and  sat 
down  on  the  end  of  the  log — the  woman  was  sitting  in  the 
middle. 

"Why  do  you  sit  so  far  away?"  asked  she,  "A  young 
man  and  a  young  woman  sit  near  each  other  when  they 
talk." 

He  drew  a  little  nearer,  then  she  urged  him  to  come  up 
close  to  her.  At  last  he  sat  by  her  side.  She  told  him 
stories  and  talked  till  he  fell  asleep  then  she  put  him  in  a 
skin  bag,  took  the  bag  on  her  shoulders  and  hurried  off 
through  the  air. 

After  a  long  time,  the  woman  came  to  the  ground,  took 
the  young  man  out  of  the  bag,  roused  him,  and  asked, 
"Do  you  know  this  place?" 


GRANDFATHER  AND  GRANDSON     119 

"Yes,  my  grandfather  used  to  fish  here." 

"I  don't  believe  it,"  said  the  woman,  "Point  out  some- 
thing you  remember." 

"There  are  the  poles  we  put  up;  and  there  is  the  old 
kettle  we  cooked  in."  He  willed  that  she  should  see  those 
things;  he  bewitched  her  eyes. 

Again  she  told  him  stories  till  she  put  him  to  sleep.  A 
second  time  she  carried  him  far  away.  When  she  came  to 
the  ground  and  opened  the  bag,  the  young  man  found 
that  he  was  on  the  shelf  of  a  high  cliff.  On  narrow  places 
near  him  were  other  men,  some  alive,  some  half  eaten  up. 
"Oh,"  thought  he,  "my  grandfather  was  right,  there  are 
bad  women  in  the  North."  He  called  to  the  man  nearest 
him  and  asked  how  he  came  there. 

"A  woman  brought  me  here;  other  women  brought 
these  other  men  to  where  they  are;  many  men  have  been 
eaten  up ;  you  and  I  will  be  eaten  when  they  come  to  us. ' ' 

The  young  man  thought  how  he  might  escape.  All  at 
once  he  remembered  that,  on  a  time,  a  great  spider  had 
appeared  to  him  in  a  dream,  and  had  promised  to  help 
him  when  in  trouble,  and  he  cried,  "0  Spider,  help  me 
now ! " 

Right  away  an  enormous  spider  was  there  on  the  top 
of  the  cliff  and  it  began  weaving  threads  for  a  rope. 
When  the  rope  was  long  enough  the  spider  let  it  down  and 
the  young  man  climbed  up  on  it.  Then  he  let  the  rope 
down  and  drew  up  the  men  on  the  cliff  one  after  another. 
All  the  men  went  home  except  the  young  man.  He  set 
out  for  the  home  of  the  woman  who  had  deceived  him. 

He  found  the  woman  living  in  an  old  house  with  her 
mother  and  he  said  to  her,  "I  have  come  to  marry  you." 

The  woman  said,  ' '  I  have  a  very  bad  mother,  I  'm  afraid 
that  she  will  kill  you;  she  sent  me  to  deceive  you  and 
carry  you  to  the  cliff." 

"I'll  try  to  save  myself,"  said  the  young  man. 

The  old  woman  slept  at  the  end  of  the  house.  In  the 
night  she  began  to  groan  and  roll  around  on  the  ground. 

The  young  woman  said,  "Strike  my  mother  on  the 
head  with  the  corn  pounder." 

He  struck  her,  and  asked,  "What  is  the  matter,  Mother- 
in-law?" 


120  SENECA    MYTHS 

"I  dreamed  that  my  son-in-law  killed  the  white  beaver 
in  the  lake  and  made  a  feast  for  the  Dagwanoe^ents.  " 

"Go  to  sleep  now,"  said  the  son-in-law,  "I'll  do  that 
to-morrow. ' ' 

The  next  morning  he  went  to  the  lake  and  killed  the 
beaver  with  a  single  arrow,  but  as  soon  as  he  lifted  it  out 
of  the  water  the  lake  rose  up  and  pursued  him  with  fury. 
The  young  man  knew  the  water  was  so  poisonous  that 
flesh  that  it  touched  instantly  dropped  from  the  bones, 
so  he  ran  for  his  life.  He  reached  the  house  and  threw 
the  beaver  down.     That  minute  the  water  disappeared. 

The  old  woman  was  raging,  she  said,  ' '  Oh,  my  poor  son, 
my  poor  son!  I  thought  that  my  son-in-law's  bones  would 
be  in  the  lake." 

The  beaver  was  dressed  and  cooked.  The  man  invited 
the  Dagwanoeuyents  and  the  Gasyondethas  to  come  to 
the  feast.  They  came;  the  house  was  full  of  horrid  heads 
with  long  hair.  When  the  dinner  was  eaten  to  the  last 
morsel,  the  heads  began  to  smack  their  lips.  "A  splendid 
feast!"  said  they.  "A  grand  dinner  the  old  woman's 
son  has  made  us!    How  sweet  his  flesh  was!" 

The  old  woman  was  furious ;  she  seized  a  club  and  drove 
the  guests  away. 

The  next  night  the  old  woman  rolled  around  the  house 
and  down  to  the  fire,  crying,  " Agi!  Agi!" 

"Oh,"  said  the  wife.  "This  time  my  mother  will  dream 
that  you  and  she  must  go  to  the  sweat  house,  you  first  and 
then  she.    Now  strike  her  with  the  corn  pounder." 

He  struck  her  and  she  called  out,  "I  dreamed  that  my 
son-in-law  went  to  the  sweat  house  and  then  I  went." 

"Go  to  sleep,  Mother-in-law,  I'll  attend  to  that  to-mor- 
row." 

In  the  morning  the  sweat  house  was  heated.  As  soon 
as  the  young  man  went  in,  the  old  woman  danced  around 
outside  and  sang  "Let  there  be  heat  to  kill  him!  Let 
there  be  heat  to  kill  him!" 

When  she  thought  he  was  dead  she  went  in,  but  she 
found  him  comfortable  and  happy.  Now  it  was  her  turn 
to  sweat.  The  son-in-law  closed  the  sweat  house,  then  he 
danced  and  sang  "Let  it  become  flint,  first  at  a  red  and 
then  at  a  white  heat." 


GRANDFATHER  AND  GRANDSON     121 

Right  away  the  house  was  flint  and  red  hot. 

The  old  woman  was  burned  up. 

"Now,"  said  the  young  man  to  his  wife,  "You  brought 
me  most  of  the  journey  on  your  back,  you  know  the  way; 
take  me  to  my  home." 

She  put  him  on  her  back,  carried  him  over  the  fields  and 
the  woods,  past  the  fishing  grounds  where  he  had  said 
that  his  grandfather  used  to  fish,  past  the  trees  scratched 
by  the  coons,  and  at  last  brought  him  to  his  grandfather's 
house,   and  they  lived  there  happily. 

The  women  in  this  story  were  eagles. 


THE  GEEAT  SPIRIT  OVERPOWERS  THE 

COLD  AND  FROST  OF  WINTER, 

STONE  COATS 


Characters 
Genodskwa Stone  Coats  (Frost  and  Cold) 


IN  the  old  time  when  men  got  lost  while  hunting  it  was 
supposed  the  Winter  God  (Stone  Coat)  ate  them  up. 

Once  three  Senecas  started  off  on  the  war-path,  going 
toward  the  West.  At  night  they  camped  in  a  deep  ravine 
at 'the  head  of  a  stream. 

When  they  had  made  a  fire,  a  fine  looking  man  came 
and  said  to  them,  "I  think  it  is  right  to  do  what  I  am 
going  to  do.  I  have  come  to  tell  you  that  there  are  many 
people,  man-eaters,  on  the  war-path.  To-night  they  will 
make  their  camp  in  sight  of  yours.  One  of  you  must  go 
to  their  fire  and  say,  '  Hallo !  I  've  found  your  fire.  Where 
are  you  going  V 

' ' They  will  answer,  'We  are  on  the  war-path.'  The  man 
must  say,  'I  am  on  the  war-path  too.'  They  will  say, 
1  Well,  we  will  fight.'  Then  the  man  must  leave  them  and 
come  back  to  your  camp." 

The  stranger  disappeared  and  soon  people  came  and 
camped  a  short  distance  from  the  Seneca  camp.  One  of 
the  three  Senecas  said,  "I  will  go  over  there."  As  he 
approached  he  called  out,  " Hallo!  I've  found  your  fire! 
Where  are  you  going?" 

"We  are  on  the  war-path." 

"So  am  I,"  answered  the  Seneca. 

"Well,  we  must  fight,"  said  the  chief  of  the  Stone  Coats. 

As  the  man  turned  to  go  away  he  saw  stone  clothing 
leaning  against  a  tree;  the  owner  of  the  clothes  was  lying 
on  the  ground. 

122 


THE    GREAT   SPIRIT  123 

The  next  morning  the  Stone  Coat  warriors  came  up  the 
ravine  toward  the  Seneca  camp.  They  made  a  terrible 
noise  for  they  sang,  "We  are  going  to  eat  up  the  Seneca 
nation !    We  are  going  to  eat  up  the  Seneca  nation ! ' ' 

When  they  were  about  half  way  through  the  ravine, 
they  gave  a  war  whoop  and  moved  forward  quickly.  But 
that  moment  huge  rocks  began  to  roll  down  on  them  and 
great  trees  to  fall  on  them.  The  Senecas  saw  a  strange 
man  running  along  on  top  of  the  rocks  and  trees.  When- 
ever he  saw  a  Stone  Coat  head  sticking  up,  he  struck  it 
and  killed  the  man. 

Of  all  the  warriors  only  one  was  left  alive  and  he  was 
never  seen  again.  All  the  time  the  stranger  was  throwing 
rocks  and  trees  he  sang,  and  the  song  said,  that  the  Seneca 
nation  could  stand  against  anything,  could  stand  against 
the  whole  world. 

When  the  battle  was  over,  the  stranger  came  to  the  three 
men,  and  said.  "I  am  he  whom  you  call  HAweniyo  (Great 
Spirit).  I  have  saved  you.  I  did  not  make  the  Stone 
Coats,  some  one  else  made  them.  I  want  you,  the  Seneca 
people  to  be  the  most  active  of  all  tribes,  in  war,  in  games 
and  in  hunting." 

The  stranger  disappeared  and  the  three  Senecas  went 
home. 

One  day  a  Seneca,  who  was  out  hunting  in  the  woods, 
saw  that  a  Stone  Coat  was  following  him ;  he  was  frightened 
and  began  to  run.  When  he  saw  that  the  Stone  Coat  was 
gaining  on  him,  he  climbed  a  tree  that  had  fallen  part 
way  and  lodged  on  another  tree. 

Stone  Coat  came  to  the  tree  and  stopped  but  he  couldn't 
see  the  man  for  he  couldn't  look  up.  Taking  a  finger 
from  his  pocket  he  placed  it  on  the  palm  of  his  hand.  The 
finger  raised  up  and  pointed  at  the  man.  The  man  was  a 
swift  runner.  He  slipped  down  from  the  tree,  snatched 
the  finger  and  ran  off  with  it.  Stone  Coat  shouted  after 
him,  begged  and  promised  to  be  his  friend  forever  if  he 
would  give  him  the  finger.  The  man,  afraid  of  being 
deceived,  wouldn't  go  near  Stone  Coat,  but  he  threw  the 
finger  back  to  him.  Ever  after  this,  this  man  and  the 
Stone  Coats  were  good  friends. 


MAN-EATER  AND  HIS  BROTHER 
WHIRLWIND 


Characters 


Dagwanoedyent Whirlwind  or  Cyclone 

Ongweias Man-eater 


A  MAN  and  his  three  nephews  lived  together,  but  there 
was  a  partition  in  the  house;  the  old  man  lived  on 
one  side  of  the  partition  and  the  nephews  on  the  other. 
There  was  no  door  between;  they  talked  through  the 
partition. 

The  old  man  was  a  Ongweias  (Man-eater).  He  was 
brother  of  the  Dagwanoedyent  who  chased  the  panther 
and  her  cubs. — But  that  is  another  story. 

When  the  uncle  went  hunting,  he  started  on  a  run.  The 
young  men  could  hear  the  sound  of  his  going.  They  also 
hunted.  When  the  old  man  came  home,  the  nephews  heard 
him  throw  down  a  body  and  cut  it  up,  then  they  heard  him 
eating  and  crunching  bones.  Afterward  he  spoke  to 
them,  asked  if  they  had  all  come  back  from  hunting  and 
they  answered,  "We  are  all  here.', 

One  morning,  after  the  old  man  had  gone,  the  youngest 
brother  started  off  by  himself.  A  short  distance  from  the 
house  lay  a  big  log;  moss  had  grown  over  it.  When  the 
young  man  put  his  foot  on  the  log  to  cross  it,  he  saw  a 
man  fastened  to  the  tree. 

The  man  said,  "I  am  glad  you  have  come.  I  am  tor- 
mented here.  If  you  will  take  me  home,  I  will  be  a  brother 
to  you  and  stay  with  you  as  long  as  you  live.,, 

"I  don't  think  I  can  take  you  home,"  said  the  young 
man.     "My  uncle  is  a  man-eater.     But  I  will  talk  with 

124 


MAN-EATER  AND  HIS  BROTHER     125 

my  brothers,  and  to-morrow  I  will  come  and  tell  you  what 
they  say." 

That  night  when  the  old  man  asked  if  they  had  all  come 
back  from  hunting,  the  youngest  brother  said,  "We  have 
found  a  man  and  he  wants  to  be  our  brother  and  live 
with  us.    You  must  not  harm  him." 

The  old  man  promised  not  to  harm  the  stranger,  and 
said,  "I  will  give  him  a  name.  He  will  be  called  'The 
Found  One.'  " 

The  brothers  brought  the  man  to  the  house  and  when  he 
had  grown  strong  he  was  a  swifter  runner  than  the  man- 
eater. 

One  morning  the  three  brothers  and  The  Found  One 
started  off  hunting.  In  the  afternoon  the  old  man  came 
home.     At  night  he  asked,  "Are  you  all  there?" 

One  brother  answered,  "No,  our  eldest  brother  has  not 
come. ' ' 

The  old  man  was  surprised.  He  told  the  second  brother 
that  he  must  start  early  the  next  morning  and  follow  his 
brother's  tracks. 

In  the  morning  the  young  man  set  out  and  soon  he 
found  his  brother's  tracks  and  followed  them.  After  a 
while,  he  came  to  an  opening.  In  the  middle  of  the  open- 
ing sat  an  old  woman;  the  tracks  went  toward  her.  The 
young  man  made  up  his  mind  to  inquire  for  his  brother, 
and  going  up  to  the  woman,  he  asked,  ' '  Have  you  seen  my 
brother?" 

No  answer;  the  woman  was  deaf.  He  pushed  her,  she 
struck  him  and  that  minute  he  turned  to  bones.  Now 
two  brothers  were  gone. 

That  night  when  the  man-eater  asked  if  all  his  nephews 
were  at  home,  the  youngest  said,  "No,  two  of  my  brothers 
have  not  come  back." 

"You  must  follow  their  tracks,"  said  the  old  man,  "and 
find  out  what  has  happened." 

Early  in  the  morning  the  young  man  started.  When 
he  reached  the  opening  and  saw  the  gray-haired  woman,  it 
came  to  his  mind  that  she  had  killed  his  brothers.  He 
stepped  back,  got  a  good  start,  ran  and  sprang  on  to  her 
back,  then  he  asked,  "Have  you  seen  my  brothers?" 

The  woman  didn't  answer.     He  jumped  off  from  her 


126  SENECA    MYTHS 

back,  then  on  again.  She  tried  in  every  way  to  hit  him. 
At  last  she  touched  him  and  that  minute  he  became  bones — 
three  brothers  were  gone. 

That  night  when  the  man-eater  asked,  "Are  you  all 
there? "  Found  One  answered.  "I  am  alone,  my  brothers 
have  not  come  home.', 

The  old  man  said,  "To-morrow  morning  go  into  the 
woods  and  cut  some  crotched  sticks,  set  them  up  outside 
of  the  house  and  build  a  platform  on  them.  Put  as  many 
stones  on  the  platform  as  you  can  and  then  start  off  for 
your  uncle,  Whirlwind.  You  can't  help  finding  him.  As 
soon  as  you  see  him,  shoot  him  in  the  forehead;  he  will 
fly  in  the  direction  the  arrow  came  from.,, 

The  next  morning  the  man  made  a  platform,  and,  after 
putting  as  many  large  stones  on  it  as  possible,  he  started 
in  the  direction  the  uncle  pointed  out.  About  midday  he 
heard  a  great  noise  and  when  he  came  out  in  a  broad 
opening  he  saw  Whirlwind  on  a  rock,  eating  the  rock,  biting 
off  large  pieces  of  it. 

He  shot  an  arrow  at  the  old  man's  forehead,  saying  at 
the  same  time,  "I've  come  for  you,  Uncle." 

The  great  Head  stopped  eating  and  came  toward  him. 
Found  One  shot  a  second  arrow;  the  Head  followed  the 
arrow.  When  Found  One  shot  the  third  arrow,  he  was 
back  at  the  house.  He  called  to  the  old  man-eater,  ■ '  Uncle, 
I've  come!" 

There  was  a  terrible  wind  and  the  noise  of  falling  trees. 
Then  Whirlwind  stood  on  the  platform  and  began  to  eat 
the  stones;  his  crunching  could  be  heard  a  long  way  off. 

The  man-eater  said  to  Whirlwind,  "Brother,  I  sent  for 
you  and  you  have  come.  My  three  nephews  went  hunting 
and  did  not  come  back.  I  am  going  for  them,  if  I  don't 
return  you  will  come  after  me." 

The  next  morning  Found  One  was  alone.  Whirlwind 
came,  stood  on  the  platform  and  called  out,  "Have  they 
come  back?" 

"They  have  not,"  answered  Found  One. 

"Well,  I  am  going  after  my  brother.  He  oughtn't  to 
eat  men  if  he  cannot  go  anywhere  without  getting  lost!" 

Whirlwind  went  high  in  the  air  and  saw  the  old  woman. 
She  knew  he  was  looking  at  her.    He  came  down  where  he 


MAN-EATER  AND  HIS  BROTHER     127 

thought  she  was  and  bit  at  her;  she  wasn't  there;  he  bit 
gravel.  He  flew  up  and  looking  down  couldn't  see  her. 
After  looking  a  long  time  and  not  seeing  her,  he  hid  behind 
a  cloud  and  watched.  At  last  he  saw  her  in  the  ground. 
Then  he  plunged  down,  and,  biting  deep  into  the  earth, 
killed  the  old  woman,  saying  meanwhile,  "My  brother 
shouldn't  eat  people  if  he  is  such  a  coward  that  he  cannot 
kill  an  old  woman." 

Found  One  came  and  Whirlwind  told  him  to  put  the 
bones  of  his  brothers  and  uncle  together,  then  go  to  a  big 
hickory  tree  that  stood  near,  push  it  and  call  out,  "Rise 
up,  or  the  tree  will  fall  on  you!" 

Found  One  did  as  told. 

The  four  men  sprang  up  and  were  running  off  when 
Whirlwind  called  to  them  and  they  came  back.  Then 
Whirlwind's  brother  said,  "I  give  up!  I  will  never  eat  a 
man  again." 

The  old  men,  their  nephews  and  Found  One  went  home 
together  and  they  are  said  to  be  in  the  mountains  now. 
Whirlwind  is  still  living. 


OWL  AND  HIS  JEALOUS  WIFE 
[Told  by  John  Jimison] 


Characters 


O'owa Owl  (horned) 

Nosgwais Toad 

Dzoega Raccoon 

The  Invisible  man  was  the  Wind 


THERE  was  a  man  and  wife,  O'owa  people  (owls), 
who  quarreled  every  night.     When  morning  came, 
all  was  pleasant  again. 

One  night  a  visitor  came  and  as  soon  as  0  'owa  saw  him, 
he  went  out  of  the  house  and  off  into  the  woods.  The 
visitor  said,  "It  is  strange  that  0'6wa  went  just  as  I 
came.    I  will  go,  and  come  another  time." 

After  a  while  O'owa  came  back.  He  was  jealous  and 
scolded  his  wife  till  they  began  to  fight.  He  beat  her  and 
then  started  off,  saying,  "I  am  going  to  get  another  wife; 
I'll  not  be  bothered  this  way." 

The  woman  followed  him,  crying.  At  last  he  grew  sorry 
and  went  back  with  her.  In  the  morning  he  said,  "I  had 
a  dream  and  it  told  me  I  must  kill  a  bear  and  be  back 
before  the  dew  is  off  the  grass." 

He  started,  but  when  out  of  sight  he  went  to  a  woman's 
house  and  stayed  there  all  day.  Towards  night  he  thought 
he  would  go  home,  but  on  the  way  he  met  a  nice  looking 
woman,  "Where  are  you  going?"  asked  he. 

"I  am  going  home." 

128 


V 


OWL  AND  HIS  JEALOUS  WIFE       129 

"I  will  go  with  you." 

"All  right,  if  you  can  overtake  me,"  said  the  woman, 
and  off  she  ran,  0'6wa  after  her.  They  ran  all  night 
toward  the  North.  (The  woman  was  a  partridge.)  About 
noon  of  the  following  day  they  came  to  a  house  and  the 
woman  went  in.  O'owa  followed,  but  he  lost  sight  of  her. 
In  the  house  were  two  old  men.  0'6wa  asked,  "Did  you 
see  a  woman  pass?" 

The  men  sat  with  their  heads  down  and  didn't  answer. 
0'6wa  repeated  the  question.  One  of  the  men  looked  up, 
and  said,  "It  seems  to  me  that  I  hear  something." 

"It  seems  to  me  that  I  hear  something,"  said  the  other 
old  man. 

"Get  our  canoe,"  said  the  first  man. 

Going  to  another  part  of  the  cabin,  the  second  man 
came  back  with  a  bark  canoe  and  two  basswood  knives. 

"Now,"  said  the  first  man,  "I  will  catch  the  game  that 
has  come  to  us." 

0'6wa  drew  back.  "Be  careful,  old  man,"  said  he, 
"I  came  to  ask  a  question.  I'll  not  harm  you."  He 
started  to  run,  the  old  men  followed  him.  After  a  time 
0'6wa  turned  and  running  back  to  the  house  got  a  mallet 
he  had  seen  there.  The  first  man  to  appear  he  knocked 
down  with  a  blow  on  the  head;  the  second  he  treated  in 
the  same  way. 

Then  one  man  said  to  the  other,  "Get  up  and  do  the 
best  you  can.  It  would  be  strange  for  us  to  be  beaten  by 
our  game." 

Again  they  were  knocked  down. 

0'6wa  thought,  "These  men  are  Nosgwais  (Toads). 
I  cannot  kill  them."    And  he  ran  off. 

After  a  while  he  came  upon  a  woman's  tracks  and  he 
followed  them  all  day.  When  night  came  he  thought  he 
would  soon  overtake  her,  but  the  tracks  were  not  the 
woman's  tracks;  he  had  made  a  circle.  At  daybreak  he 
was  far  back  and  seeing  his  own  tracks  he  said,  "Another 
man  is  following  the  woman.  When  I  overtake  him, 
I  will  kill  him." 

Again  he  came  to  the  house  of  the  two  Nosgwais  men. 
When  he  asked  for  the  woman,  they  caught  him  and  threw 
him  into  their  canoe,  then  they  began  to  dispute  as  to 


130  SENECA    MYTHS 

which  one  should  cut  up  the  game.  At  last  they  pushed 
back  the  canoe  and  left  it.  O'owa  could  not  get  up;  he 
was  fastened  to  the  canoe. 

Towards  night  he  heard  somebody  say,  "You  think  you 
are  going  to  die?" 

"Yes,  I  think  so,"  said  0'6wa. 

"You  will  not,"  said  the  invisible  man.  "At  the  end 
of  the  canoe  is  a  string  and  on  it  hang  the  hearts  of  the 
two  old  men.  Wait  till  dark  then  move  and  you  will  get 
loose  and  can  get  out  of  the  canoe.  I  will  give  you  light 
to  see  where  the  hearts  are.  Squeeze  them  and  you  will 
kill  the  old  men.  The  canoe  has  great  power,  the  Nosgwais 
use  it  when  they  travel.  I  will  teach  you  the  song  that 
belongs  to  it." 

0'6wa  was  so  weak  he  could  hardly  speak,  the  teacher 
sang,  "Gayeihe  one11  Owaqdendi  ne  okhonwan  (My  canoe 
has  started)." 

When  he  finished  singing,  O'owa  said,  "I  have  learned 
the  song." 

As  soon  as  it  was  dark,  0'6wa  began  to  move  and  as  he 
moved  he  gained  strength.  Looking  around  he  saw  a  pale 
light  at  the  end  of  the  canoe.  He  found  the  hearts  and 
took  them  from  the  string;  as  he  crushed  them  he  heard 
screams  and  groans.  He  put  the  hearts  under  the  canoe 
and  pounded  them,  then  the  cries  ceased. 

0'6wa  lay  down  and  slept.  The  next  morning  he  said, 
"Now  I  have  something  to  travel  in  and  I  will  soon 
overtake  that  woman."  And  carrying  the  canoe  outside 
he  turned  it  toward  the  North,  got  into  it  and  began  to 
sing. 

The  canoe  started  off  so  swiftly  that  only  the  whiz  of 
the  air  could  be  heard.  As  it  went  on  it  rose  higher  and 
higher.  0'6wa  began  to  be  afraid  that  the  canoe  was 
carrying  him  to  some  bad  place.  It  went  higher  and 
faster  and  he  grew  more  and  more  afraid.  All  at  once 
he  heard  a  scrambling  behind,  as  of  some  one  trying  to 
get  into  the  canoe,  and  looking  around  he  saw  a  man,  who 
said,  "How  fast  you  go!  I  was  bound  to  get  in  so  I 
jumped.  You  are  afraid  that  the  canoe  is  going  to  carry 
you  away.  The  reason  the  canoe  goes  higher  and  higher 
and  faster  and  faster  is  that  you  keep  repeating  the  song. 


OWL  AND  HIS  JEALOUS  WIFE       131 

You  must  change  the  words,  then  you  can  guide  it.     I 
forgot  to  tell  you  this  last  night." 

As  the  man  finished  speaking,  he  stepped  from  the  stern 
of  the  canoe  into  the  air  and  disappeared. 

O'owa  now  sang,  "My  canoe  is  going  down!  My  canoe 
is  going  down ! "    In  a  flash  the  canoe  came  to  the  ground. 

"This  is  not  what  I  wanted,"  said  O'owa,  "I  wanted 
to  come  lower  but  not  to  the  ground." 

Again  he  sang  the  first  song;  the  canoe  flew  up  like  an 
arrow  and  off  toward  the  North  faster  than  before.  As 
it  went  along  0'6wa  saw  the  tracks  of  the  woman  ahead. 
Higher  and  higher  went  the  canoe,  the  wind  whizzed 
frightfully. 

/'lam  getting  too  high, ' '  thought  O  '6wa  and  he  changed 
his  song  to,  "My  canoe  must  go  lower,  My  canoe  must  go 
lower."  It  came  down  but  its  speed  was  so  great  that 
0'6wa  was  troubled  and  began  to  sing,  "My  canoe  must 
stop!  My  canoe  must  stop!"  He  came  to  the  ground, 
but  he  had  lost  the  woman's  tracks  and  he  was  far  from 
his  own  country. 

Again  he  sat  in  the  canoe  but  this  time  he  sang,  "Let 
my  canoe  travel  just  above  the  trees."  The  canoe  obeyed 
but  it  soon  came  to  an  opening.  Then,  as  there  were  no 
trees,  it  came  to  the  ground. 

O'owa  thought,  "I  will  go  back  to  my  wife,"  and  he 
began  to  sing. 

The  canoe  rose  in  the  air  going  higher  and  higher  as  it 
went  toward  the  South.  It  went  up  till  it  struck  the  Blue. 
The  strength  of  the  canoe  was  in  the  fore  end  and  as  it 
struck  against  the  Blue  it  broke  and  the  canoe  came  down. 
0  'owa  fell  in  at  the  smoke-hole  of  his  own  house. 

"Get  up!"  screamed  his  wife,  "You  have  put  the  fire 
out." 

He  couldn't  move,  she  pulled  him  up,  and  asked,  "Where 
have  you  been?  You  said  you  would  be  back  before  the 
dew  was  off  the  grass. ' ' 

The  woman  was  jealous.  From  words  they  began  to 
quarrel  and  fight.  At  last  O'owa  said,  "I'll  not  stay 
here." 

The  canoe  had  such  power  that  if  broken  it  soon  became 
whole  again.     The  man  sat  in  it  and  began  to  sing.     The 


132  SENECA    MYTHS 

canoe  floated  away  and  soon  was  over  a  village.  Then 
O'owa  sang,  "Let  my  canoe  come  down."  It  came  to  the 
ground,  and  0  '6wa  left  in  and  went  to  the  village.  To  the 
first  man  he  met,  he  said,  "I  have  come  to  get  men  to  go 
to  war." 

The  man  said,  "I  will  call  the  people  together." 

When  the  people  had  assembled  0  '6wa  said,  ' '  An  enemy 
is  coming.     I  want  volunteers  to  go  against  him." 

Ten  men  agreed  to  go.  (The  people  of  this  village 
were  Racoons.) 

They  traveled  for  a  long  time  but  found  no  enemy  to 
fight.    At  last  they  met  a  man  and  captured  him. 

The  man  said,  "A  captive  is  always  permitted  to  sing1 
his  last  war-song." 

The  party  talked  it  over,  and  said,  "That  is  fair  and 
according  to  rule. ' ' 

They  released  the  captive  and  forming  a  line  on  each 
side  let  him  walk  through,  singing  as  he  went.  He  sang, 
"Djinonehe,  Agadyengwdq  oya'de,"  repeating  the  same 
words  all  the  time. 

The  chief  said,  "He  sings,  'I  wish  there  were  a  hole!*  " 

"No,"  said  the  captive,  "that  is  only  the  way  the  song 
goes. ' ' 

As  he  walked  he  rubbed  the  ground  with  his  feet  to  see 
if  he  could  find  a  hole.  At  last  he  found  one  and  dropped 
into  it.  The  men  grabbed  at  him  as  he  was  disappearing, 
but  caught  only  the  end  of  his  tail.  It  broke  off  and  that 
is  why  woodchucks  .have  short  tails,  for  the  captive  was 
a  woodchuck. 

When  Woodchuck  got  away  0'6wa  scolded  and  abused 
the  Racoon  men.  They  got  mad  and  pounded  him  till 
they  thought  he  was  dead,  then  they  left  him  and  went 
home. 

0  '6wa  's  wife  was  angry  at  his  delay,  and  taking  a  bass- 
wood  knife  she  started  off  to  find  him  for  she  thought  he 
was  making  love  to  some  woman.  When  she  found  his 
canoe,  she  took  a  club  and  broke  it  to  pieces,  then  went 
to  the  village  and  asked  where  0'6wa  was. 

The  men  who  had  killed  him  said,  "His  body  is  over 
there  not  far  away,  you  will  fmd  the  pieces." 

One  of  the  men  said,  "I  will  go  with  you." 


OWL  AND  HIS  JEALOUS  WIFE       133 

The  woman  found  0'6wa's  body  and  left  it  where  she 
found  it.  She  went  home  with  the  Racoon  man  and 
became  his  wife.  When  she  found  that  he  already  had  a 
wife,  she  was  jealous  and  began  to  quarrel  with  the  woman 
and  then  to  fight  with  her.    The  two  fought  till  both  died. 

Racoon  felt  sad  and  lonesome  and  soon  he  began  to 
cry,  and  he  cried  till  he  changed  to  a  dove  and  still  he 
cried,  and  Indians  called  him  the  crying  dove  (mourning 
dove),  and  that  dove  cries  yet. 


OKTEONDO"  AND  HIS  UNCLE 
[Told  by  Andrew  Johnny- John] 


Characters 


Okteondo* Eoots 

Haienthwus The  Planter 

Shagowenotha  , The  Pnnisher 

Ongweias Man-eater 


OKTEONDOn  lived  in  the  woods  with  his  uncle,  Hai- 
enthwus. In  front  of  the  uncle's  house  was  a  great 
elm  tree.  The  boy  lay  at  the  foot  of  this  tree  till  the  roots 
grew  over  and  around  his  body,  binding  him  firmly  to  the 
earth. 

Haienthwus  was  very  fond  of  his  nephew.  He  always 
brought  him  food:  everything  that  he  liked  to  eat  and 
drink,  venison,  squashes,  dried  berries.  Whatever  the  boy 
wanted  the  old  man  gave  him. 

The  first  work  Haienthwus  did  each  morning  was  to 
put  corn  in  a  stone  mortar  to  make  meal.  He  struck  one 
blow  with  the  pestle  and  with  that  blow  crushed  the  corn. 
People  far  and  near  heard  the  blow  and  all  said,  "Okte- 
ondod's  uncle  is  well-to-do  and  strong." 

The  old  man  cooked  the  meal,  carried  a  plenty  to  his 
nephew  and  ate  his  own  share.  Some  days  he  went  to 
the  forest  for  fire-wood.  He  burned  logs  into  pieces  of 
such  length  as  he  could  carry  easily.  When  the  fires  on 
one  log  were  burning  well,  he  would  light  fires  on  other 
logs  and  go  from  one  log  to  another  keeping  the  fires  in 

134 


OKTEONDO   AND    HIS    UNCLE       135 

order.  When  the  pieces  were  burned  off  and  ready,  the 
old  man  carried  them  home. 

As  he  threw  down  the  blocks  they  made  a  deep,  pleasant 
sound  on  the  earth  and  all  the  people  in  the  region  and 
to  the  most  distant  places  heard  the  noise,  and  said, 
"OKTEONDOn's  uncle  is  well-to-do  and  strong." 

Some  days  the  old  man  went  out  to  plant  beans  and 
squashes  or  dig  wild  potatoes.  One  Spring  morning  in 
the  planting  season,  he  went  to  his  clearing  in  the  woods 
with  two  baskets  of  seeds  strapped  to  his  belt.  When 
starting  he  left  a  plenty  of  food  with  his  nephew,  and  said, 
<(Iam  going  to  plant  these  seeds." 

The  old  man  was  in  the  field,  making  holes  in  the 
ground  with  a  stick  forked  at  one  end  and  sharp  at  the 
other,  dropping  seeds  in  these  holes  and  closing  them, 
when  all  at  once  he  heard  a  song  that  said:  "I  am  going 
to  rise.    I  am  going  to  rise." 

He  knew  it  was  his  nephew's  song,  and  dropping  the 
pointed  stick  he  hurried  home,  forgetting  all  about  the 
seeds.  As  he  ran  the  baskets  struck  the  trees  on  both 
sides  of  the  narrow  trail  and  scattered  the  seeds  till  all 
were  lost. 

When  Haienthwus  reached  the  house  he  saw  that  his 
nephew  was  on  one  elbow  and  the  tree  leaned  toward  the 
earth,  with  the  roots  starting  out  of  the  ground. 

"Well,  Nephew,  what  is  the  matter?"  asked  the  old  man. 

1  *  I  want  some  water,  Uncle. ' ' 

The  old  man  gave  his  nephew  water,  pushed  the  tree 
back  to  its  place  and  then  looking  into  his  baskets  saw 
they  were  empty.  He  spent  the  rest  of  the  day  on  his 
hands  and  knees  picking  up  what  seeds  he  could  find. 

Another  day  he  went  out  to  strip  bark  from  a  slippery 
elm  tree,  to  make  strings,  but  before  starting  he  gave 
Okteondo11  everything  he  needed.  When  he  had  stripped 
off  a  good^  deal  of  bark  and  was  tying  it  in  bundles, 
Haienthwus  heard  the  song  again:  "I  am  rising.  I  am 
rising!"  The  minute  he  heard  those  words,  he  threw  a 
bundle  of  bark  on  his  back  and  ran  toward  home.  As  he 
hurried  along,  the  bundle  struck  the  trees,  first  on  one 
side  and  then  on  the  other  side  of  the  trail.  One  piece 
of  bark  slipped  out  at  one  place  and  another  at  another 


136  SENECA    MYTHS 

till  there  was  nothing  left  on  the  old  man's  shoulders 
but  the  straps. 

' '  What  is  the  matter,  Nephew  ? ' '  asked  the  old  man  when 
he  saw  Okteondo11  resting  on  an  elbow  and  the  tree  leaning 
to  one  side. 

"Oh,  I'm  thirsty,  Uncle." 

Haienthwus  brought  him  water,  then  straightened  up 
the  tree  and  went  back  to  the  woods.  He  picked  up  the 
pieces  of  bark  on  both  sides  of  the  trail  till  he  came  to  the 
place  where  he  had  stripped  them  from  the  tree.  That 
minute  he  again  heard  the  song,  "I  am  rising.  I  am 
rising. ' ' 

"Poor  boy,  I  wonder  what  he  wants  now,"  said  the 
uncle,  running  home  a  third  time.  When  about  half  way 
he  heard  the  song  repeated,  then  came  a  tremendous  crash 
which  was  heard  over  the  whole  country. 

All  the  people  said:  "Okteondo11  has  come  to  man- 
hood; he  has  got  up." 

When  the  old  man  reached  home  the  great  elm  had 
fallen  and  his  nephew  was  gone.  He  saw  footprints  far 
apart,  long  steps  on  the  ground. 

That  night  the  young  man  came  to  his  uncle's  house 
and  they  had  a  talk. 

The  old  man  said,  "You  have  grown  up.  You  are  now 
a  man.  You  can  go  where  you  please,  but  I  don't  want 
you  to  go  toward  the  North.  If  you  do  something  evil 
will  come  upon  you,  you'll  have  bad  luck." 

The  young  man  hunted  for  some  time.  He  was  a  swift 
runner.  He  never  killed  deer  or  other  game  in  the  woods. 
He  always  drove  the  animals  home  and  killed  them  at 
his  uncle's  door.  After  he  had  hunted  in  the  West,  South 
and  East,  he  remembered  his  uncle's  warning  and  wonder- 
ing what  it  could  mean,  he  made  up  his  mind  to  go  North 
and  find  out. 

So  one  morning,  when  out  of  sight  of  his  uncle's  house, 
he  turned  to  the  North  and  ran  swiftly  till  he  came  to  a 
large  opening  in  which  there  was  a  lake.  The  air  was 
still;  the  lake  calm  and  beautiful.  Everything  was  so 
pleasing  to  look  upon  that  the  young  man  thought  his 
uncle  didn't  want  him  to  see  the  place  because  it  was  so 
agreeable  he  would  want  to  stay  there.    Around  the  lake 


OKTEONDO   AND    HIS    UNCLE       137 

was  a  sandy  beach,  and  a  forest  came  to  the  edge  of  the 
sand,  leaving  a  clean  space  around  the  water.  In  the 
middle  of  the  lake  was  a  wooded  island. 

Okteondo11  stood  looking  toward  the  island  when  he 
heard  some  one  call  once  and  then  a  second  time.  Soon  a 
dark  spot  appeared  on  the  water  and  grew  in  size.  At 
last  a  man  was  seen  and  he  was  singing  as  his  canoe 
moved  on. 

When  quite  near,  Okteondo11  saw  that  the  canoe  was 
pushed  by  two  rows  of  geese,  one  row  on  each  side  of  the 
canoe,  while  the  man  sang,  "Now  wild  geese's  feet  row 
my  canoe.' ' 

When  the  canoe  touched  land,  the  man  jumped  out,  and 
said  to  Okteondo11,  "I  am  glad  you  have  come.  I  am 
glad  we  have  met  here.,, 

The  stranger  walked  along  the  sand  a  while,  then  turned 
to  Okteondo11,  and  said,  "You  are  my  own  brother,  we 
are  of  the  same  size.,, 

They  stood  back  to  back,  measured,  and  found  they 
were  of  the  same  height. 

"This  shows,"  said  the  stranger,  "that  you  are  my 
brother.  Your  uncle  is  my  uncle  too,  your  bow  and  arrows 
are  just  like  mine." 

He  went  to  the  canoe,  got  his  bow  and  two  arrows  and 
put  them  by  Okteondo11  's  bow  and  arrows.  They  were 
exactly  alike. 

"These  bows  and  arrows,"  said  the  stranger,  "were 
made  by  the  same  man,  our  uncle  Haienthwus.  You  are 
a  fast  runner,  so  am  I,  you  run  with  the  same  swiftness 
that  I  do.     This  proves  that  we  are  brothers." 

The  beach  where  they  stood  jutted  out  into  the  lake  and 
directly  opposite,  on  the  other  side  of  the  lake,  was  a 
similar  point. 

The  stranger  said,  "Let  us  shoot  our  arrows  together, 
straight  across  the  water  to  the  point  over  there,  then  run 
along  the  shore  and  catch  them." 

Okteondo11  was  willing.  They  shot  the  arrows  at  the 
same  instant  then  ran  around  the  lake  till  they  reached 
the  point  where  they  saw  the  arrows  coming  through  the 
air.     They  caught  them  before  they  came  to  the  ground. 

"Let  us  shoot  them  back,"  said  the  stranger. 


138  SENECA    MYTHS 

They  stood  shoulder  to  shoulder,  let  the  arrows  fly  and 
then  running  along  the  shore  came  to  the  point  from 
which  they  had  started  and  caught  the  arrows  before  they 
came  to  the  ground. 

"We  are  brothers,"  said  the  stranger.  "Your  uncle 
used  to  tell  me  not  to  come  here  just  as  he  has  told  you 
not  to,  but  I  came  and  have  remained  ever  since  because 
the  hunting  is  good.  Now  you  have  come.  We  have  an- 
other uncle  living  near  here.  He  gave  me  this  canoe  and 
these  geese  to  row  it  and  take  it  to  whatever  place  I  want 
to  go.  He  has  given  me  an  island  in  the  middle  of  this 
lake,  a  beautiful  place  full  of  game.  I  am  in  need  of 
nothing;  whatever  I  want  I  find  here.  You  must  go  with 
me  to  see  the  island.    Get  into  the  canoe.' ' 

While  the  canoe  was  on  the  shore  the  geese  were  swim- 
ming around  in  the  water. 

The  stranger  pushed  the  canoe  to  the  edge  of  the  water, 
and  sang,  "Come  here,  my  geese.    Come  here,  my  geese." 

The  geese  ranged  themselves  on  both  sides  of  the  canoe 
and  when  the  two  men  were  seated,  the  stranger  sang: 
"Row  me  home,  my  geese.     Row  me  home,  my  geese." 

The  geese  pushed  the  canoe  in  the  direction  of  the 
island.  The  song  continued.  The  geese  went  so  fast  that 
the  canoe  was  almost  lifted  out  of  the  water. 

When  the  canoe  touched  shore,  the  stranger  said  to  the 
geese,  "You  may  go  and  feed  a  while."  Then  he  drew 
the  canoe  on  to  land,  took  out  his  bow  and  arrows  and 
told  his  brother  to  come  with  him  and  see  the  island. 

Along  the  water  there  was  a  sandy  beach,  next  to  that 
soft  grass  and  farther  in  thick  woods. 

The  two  men  walked  along  till  they  came  to  a  high  bank 
where  the  water  was  deep,  then  the  stranger  said:  "This 
is  my  playground  and  when  anyone  comes  here  with  me  he 
and  I  try  to  see  who  has  the  longest  breath." 

He  took  a  smooth,  round,  white  stone  and  threw  it  into 
the  water,  some  distance  from  the  shore.  The  water  was 
so  clear  that  the  stone  could  be  seen  at  the  bottom.  The 
stranger  dived  into  the  water  but  did  not  reach  the 
bottom.  Coming  up  he  clambered  on  shore  and  said  to 
Okteondo11,  "Now  you  try!" 

The  young  man  took  off  his  clothes  and  sprang  into 


OKTEONDO   AND    HIS    UNCLE       139 

the  water.  While  he  was  trying  to  get  the  stone,  the 
stranger  took  his  clothes  and  his  bow  and  arrows  and 
running  to  the  landing  place  jumped  into  the  canoe  and 
called  the  geese,  and  in  a  minute  he  was  out  on  the  water 
going  towards  the  main  land  at  great  speed. 

When  Okteondo11  came  out  of  the  water  and  could  see 
no  one,  he  ran  to  the  place  where  they  had  landed  and 
from  there  he  saw,  far  out  on  the  lake,  a  black  speck 
that  soon  disappeared. 

Left  without  clothes  or  weapons  he  walked  along  the 
shore  not  knowing  what  to  do.  After  a  time  he  heard  a 
man  groan  and  it  seemed  to  him  that  the  sound  came  from 
the  ground.  He  looked  around  and  at  last  saw  a  nose 
sticking  up  through  the  sand. 

As  soon  as  he  saw  the  nose  a  man  spoke  to  him,  and  said, 
"My  Nephew,  I  am  sorry  for  you.  You  are  poor  and 
naked.  Your  brother,  Shagowenotha,  left  me  here  too. 
I  will  tell  you  what  to  do.  On  the  other  side  of  the 
island  you  will  find  a  soft  maple  tree.  In  that  tree,  near 
the  ground,  is  a  hole  and  in  the  hole  is  my  pouch  with 
a  flint  and  a  pipe  in  it.  Bring  the  pouch  here  as  quickly 
as  you  can/' 

The  young  man  ran  across  the  island,  found  the  pouch, 
brought  it  to  the  old  man,  and  said,  "I  have  brought  the 
pouch,  my  Uncle. ' ' 

"Well,  Nephew,  go  to  work  now  and  make  three  bows 
and  three  arrows.' ' 

Okteondo11  whittled  out,  with  his  uncle's  flint  knife, 
three  small  bows  and  three  arrows.  When  these  were 
ready  the  uncle  said:  "Find  a  basswood  stick  and  make 
three  dolls  out  of  it." 

When  the  dolls  were  ready,  the  uncle  said,  "Now  run 
around  the  woods  of  this  island  and  when  it  is  midday 
you  will  come  to  a  large  tree.  Climb  the  tree  and  fasten 
one  doll  and  a  bow  and  arrow  on  a  crotch  and  say  to  the 
doll,  'If  anyone  comes  to  fight  with  you,  you  must  kill 
him.'  When  you  have  done  this,  slip  down  and  run 
around  the  island  in  every  direction  till  the  middle  of  the 
afternoon  when  you  will  come  to  a  second  large  tree. 
Climb  the  tree  and  fix  a  doll  in  a  crotch  and  say  to  it,  'If 
anyone  comes  to  fight  you,  you  must  kill  him.'     Come 


140  SENECA    MYTHS 

down  and  run  around  a  third  time  in  every  direction  till 
it  is  nearly  dark,  then  put  the  third  doll  on  the  third  tree 
and  tell  it  to  kill  any  person  who  attacks  it." 

The  young  man  followed  the  orders  given  him.  He  put 
three  dolls  on  three  trees  and  at  dusk  came  back  to  his 
uncle,  and  said,  "My  Uncle,  I  have  done  as  you  told  me 
to  do." 

"Very  well,  Nephew,  now  bury  yourself  up  to  your 
nose  in  the  sand.  Your  brother  will  come  early  to-morrow 
morning  and  say,  'I  will  see  if  I  can  find  any  of  my 
brother's  blood.'  He  is  the  servant  of  a  man-eater  and 
his  work  is  to  entice  people  to  this  island  where  they  can 
be  caught  and  eaten." 

The  young  man  buried  himself  in  the  sand,  with  the 
point  of  his  nose  sticking  out,  and  waited  till  the  next 
morning  when  Shagowenotha  came  in  his  canoe,  and 
said,  "My  geese,  feed  here  while  I  see  if  I  can  find  any 
of  my  brother's  blood." 

He  started  off  on  a  run.  Okteondo11  jumped  up,  ran 
to  the  canoe,  pushed  it  into  the  water,  and  sang,  "Now 
my  geese,  row  me  home.    Now  my  geese,  row  me  home." 

In  a  minute  the  canoe  was  shooting  over  the  lake.  When 
he  was  well  out  Okteondo11  heard  his  brother  shout, 
"Come  back!  come  back!"  but  he  paid  no  heed  to  the 
cries;  he  went  on  and  the  geese  never  stopped  till  they 
reached  the  opposite  shore. 

When  Okteondo11  landed  he  said  to  the  geese,  "Feed 
here  till  I  call  you."  Then  he  put  the  canoe  under 
water  so  no  man  could  see  it,  and  went  to  a  house  nearby. 
In  the  house  he  saw  his  bow  and  arrows  that  had  been 
taken  away  by  his  brother,  and  many  arms  and  much 
venison  and  dried  green  corn.    He  ate  all  he  wanted. 

That  night  the  uncle  on  the  island  listened  and  heard  a 
canoe  come.  In  the  canoe  was  the  man-eater  and  his 
three  dogs. 

When  they  had  landed,  the  man-eater  said  to  the  dogs : 
"Run  around  and  see  what  you  can  find." 

The  dogs  found  the  tracks  made  by  the  young  man  in 
running  over  the  island  to  put  the  three  dolls  on  the 
trees,  and  they  followed  them. 

About  midnight  they  came  to  the  first  doll  and  began  to 


OKTEONDO   AND    HIS    UNCLE      141 

howl  and  bark.  The  man-eater  hurried  to  them,  but  before 
he  got  there  a  man  on  the  tree  shot  an  arrow  and  killed 
the  foremost  dog. 

When  the  man-eater  saw  that  one  of  his  dogs  was  dead, 
he  was  furious  and  drawing  his  bow  sent  an  arrow  through 
the  man  on  the  tree ;  down  the  man  fell.  The  two  remain- 
ing dogs  rushed  at  him  and  tore  his  body  apart,  when  that 
was  done  the  dead  man  was  gone  and  the  dogs  threw 
bits  of  wood  out  of  their  mouths.  The  man  had  become 
a  doll  again. 

The  man-eater  said  to  the  two  dogs,  "  There  is  good 
game  on  the  island.  Run  and  find  it."  The  dogs  ran 
around  till  they  came,  between  midnight  and  daylight,  to 
the  tree  on  which  the  second  doll  was  fixed.  As  they  ran 
up,  the  doll  became  a  man.  They  barked  furiously.  The 
man  let  fly  an  arrow  and  killed  one  of  the  two  dogs. 

The  man-eater  killed  the  man,  the  man  fell  to  the  ground 
and  was  torn  to  pieces  by  the  remaining  dog;  the  flesh 
turned  to  bits  of  wood  which  the  dog  threw  out  of  his 
mouth. 

The  man-eater  raged  more  than  ever  and  said  to  the 
third  dog,  "Run  now  and  find  good  game." 

The  dog  ran  till  day  was  coming  then  he  found  the  third 
doll.  The  doll  turned  to  a  man  and  the  man  killed  the 
dog.  When  the  man-eater  came  and  found  his  last  dog 
dead  he  shot  the  man,  the  man  tumbled  from  the  tree 
and  when  he  struck  the  ground  the  man-eater  saw  only  a 
small  stick. 

"Very  well,"  said  the  man-eater.  "I  will  go  home  now, 
but  I  will  come  again  to-night." 

He  went  home  and  the  following  night  he  came  back 
to  the  island  with  three  other  dogs.  He  set  the  dogs  on 
the  trail.  They  soon  found  Okteondoq's  brother  and 
began  to  bark.  The  man-eater  hurried  up  to  kill  the 
game,  the  man  began  to  cry  out  and  beg,  saying,  "I  am 
your  servant.  Don't  kill  me.  I  am  your  servant.  Don't 
kill  me." 

But  the  man-eater  wouldn't  believe  him.  He  drew  his 
bow  and  killed  him,  flung  his  body  into  the  canoe  and  went 
home. 

The  next  morning  Okteondo11  went  to  the  shore  of  the 


142  SENECA    MYTHS 

lake,  called  the  geese  and  started  for  the  island,  singing, 
"Row,  my  geese.     Row,  my  geese." 

When  he  got  to  the  landing  place  he  told  the  geese  to 
feed  nearby,  and  drawing  the  canoe  to  the  shore,  he  went 
to  see  his  uncle. 

"Well,  Uncle,"  said  the  young  man,  "I  have  come  back 
to  see  you." 

"My  Nephew,  the  dogs  seized  your  brother.  He  begged 
for  his  life  but  the  man-eater  killed  him,  flung  his  body 
into  the  canoe  and  carried  it  home.  Now  I  have  this  to 
tell  you.  You  have  a  sister  who  was  brought  to  this 
island.  The  man-eater  carried  her  to  his  own  place.  You 
must  rescue  her.  You  can  go  to  his  house  at  midday  for  at 
that  time  he  is  never  there." 

The  young  man  called  the  geese,  launched  the  canoe 
and  hurried  away. 

The  geese  went  so  quickly  that  in  a  little  while  Okteon- 
doq  saw  the  man-eater 's  house.  At  the  door  stood  a  woman 
watching  for  him.  She  knew  her  brother  was  coming  and 
she  ran  to  the  landing  place  carrying  two  pieces  of  bass- 
wood  bark. 

"You  must  not  step  on  the  ground,"  said  she.  "If  you 
do,  the  man-eater  will  find  your  tracks  and  kill  you." 

Before  leaving  the  shore,  Okteondo11  sank  his  canoe 
out  of  sight  and  told  the  geese  to  go  far  away  to  feed. 
His  sister  put  one  piece  of  bark  near  the  edge  of  the  water 
for  him  to  step  on  and  the  other  before  that.  When  he 
stood  on  the  second  piece  she  took  up  the  first  and  put 
it  in  front,  and  so  it  went  on.  He  stepped  from  one  piece 
of  bark  to  another  till  he  came  to  the  house,  then  she  hid 
him  under  her  couch  and  made  ready  for  the  man-eater. 
She  thought  if  everything  were  ready  for  him  she  wouldn  't 
have  to  leave  her  side  of  the  house. 

When  the  man-eater  came  home,  he  sat  down  on  his  own 
side  of  the  fire  and  the  dogs  lay  down  near  him. 

The  woman  had  a  large  bark  bowl  full  of  thigh  bones. 
The  bowl  was  hidden  behind  the  couch  on  which  she  sat 
and  under  which  her  brother  was  lying. 

After  a  while  the  man-eater  asked  for  water,  the  woman 
told  him  she  had  put  water  right  there  near  him ;  he  could 
help  himself.     He  ate  his  supper  and  lay  down  on  his 


OKTEONDO   AND    HIS    UNCLE      143 

couch.  The  dogs  sniffed  something  and  went  toward  the 
couch  where  the  woman  sat  making  moccasins. 

The  man-eater  sat  up  on  his  couch,  and  said:  "Some 
kind  of  game  has  come  to  visit  you." 

"Your  dogs  are  attacking  me,"  said  the  woman.  "I 
must  defend  myself,"  and  reaching  behind  her  she  took  a 
large  thigh  bone  out  of  the  bowl  and  struck  the  foremost 
dog  with  it.    He  howled,  went  back  and  lay  down. 

The  man-eater  lay  down  on  his  couch  again,  but  soon 
the  dogs  started  up  a  second  time,  came  nearer  the  woman 
than  before  and  barked  furiously.  Then  the  mar -eater 
said,  "There  must  be  something  near  you,  my  dogs 
wouldn't  lie." 

"If  you  think  so,  you  ought  to  have  killed  me  long 
ago,"  said  the  woman  and  she  picked  up  another  bone 
and  hit  one  of  the  dogs  a  hard  blow  on  the  snout.  They 
went  away  and  lay  down  in  their  places. 

At  daylight  the  man-eater  rose  up,  called  his  dogs  and 
went  off  hunting. 

After  a  while  the  woman  saw  one  of  the  dogs  coming 
back.  Soon  all  three  of  them  came  in  and  directly  the 
man-eater  appeared.  The  dogs  barked  louder  than  ever 
and  the  man-eater  said,  "There  must  be  game  here,  my 
dogs  are  true." 

1 '  They  are  barking  at  me  all  the  time, ' '  said  the  woman. 
"You  ought  to  have  killed  me  long  ago,  not  leave  me  here 
to  be  treated  in  this  way."  She  took  up  another  bone 
and  gave  each  dog  such  a  blow  that  it  ran  out  of  the 
house. 

The  man-eater  said:  "Come,  my  dogs,  we'll  go  hunting." 
And  he  went,  this  time,  a  long  distance. 

The  woman  told  Okteondo11  to  come  out  from  under 
the  couch.  She  got  pieces  of  basswood  bark  and  placed 
them  before  him,  one  after  another,  till  he  came  to  the 
water.  He  raised  the  canoe,  called  the  geese,  and  he  and 
his  sister 'sat  in  the  canoe;  he  sang  and  the  geese  pushed 
them  swiftly  through  the  water.  They  were  far  out  on 
the  lake  when  all  at  once  they  saw  that  they  were  going 
back  to  the  shore.  There  was  a  hook  in  the  canoe,  a  line 
was  tied  to  it  and  the  man-eater  was  pulling  in  the  line 
as  fast  as  he  could. 


144  SENECA    MYTHS 

The  woman  took  a  round  white  stone  and  broke  the 
hook,  freed  the  canoe,  and  out  it  went  into  the  lake 
again. 

The  man-eater  took  another  hook,  fastened  it  to  a  line, 
threw  the  line  out  and  caught  the  canoe.  He  was  pulling 
it  to  shore  when  the  woman  broke  the  second  hook.  The 
man-eater  was  in  a  terrible  rage  for  the  second  hook  was 
his  last  and  he  could  not  catch  the  canoe  again  with  a 
line.  But  he  was  determined  to  destroy  Okteondo11  and 
his  sister,  so  he  lay  down  on  the  beach  and  began  to  drink. 
He  drank  so  fast  that  the  water  ran  in  a  great  stream 
towards  him.    He  was  drinking  up  the  lake. 

"When  the  canoe  was  straight  in  front  of  the  man-eater's 
open  mouth,  Okteondo11  shot  an  arrow  and  pierced  his 
stomach.  The  water  of  the  lake  rushed  out  with  such 
force  that  the  canoe  was  carried  to  where  it  had  been 
before.  They  were  moving  on  quickly  and  were  near  the 
island  when  all  at  once  the  man-eater  caused  the  lake  to 
freeze  over.    The  canoe  was  fastened  in  thick  ice. 

The  man-eater  came  running  over  the  frozen  lake  and 
was  near  the  canoe  when  Okteondo11  said,  "It  must  be 
done;  the  ice  must  thaw!" 

The  ice  thawed  quicker  than  it  had  frozen  and  became 
so  weak  that  when  the  man-eater  was  about  to  seize  the 
canoe,  he  broke  through  the  ice  and  sank  to  the  bottom 
of  the  lake. 

Then  Okteondo11  said,  "Creatures  under  the  water  I 
give  this  man-eater  to  you.  Devour  him!"  They  devoured 
him  at  once.  A  little  blood  that  rose  to  the  top  was  all 
that  was  seen  of  the  man-eater. 

The  brother  and  sister  went  to  the  island.  Okteondo11 
left  the  canoe  on  shore  and  going  to  his  uncle,  who  was 
buried  in  the  sand,  said,  "Uncle,  I  have  come  back  and 
my  sister  is  with  me." 

The  uncle  said,  "Fill  my  pipe  with  dry  bark." 

The  young  man  did  as  he  was  bidden,  then  put  the 
pipe  in  his  uncle's  mouth.  The  old  man  drew  in  smoke 
and  let  it  come  out  through  his  nose,  his  eyes  and  his  ears. 
As  he  smoked  he  grew  strong  and  soon  he  said,  "Nephew, 
draw  me  up,"  and  Okteondo11  drew  him  out  of  the  sand. 

The  more  the  old  man  smoked  the  stronger  he  grew. 


OKTEONDO*   AND    HIS    UNCLE       145 

The  smoke  spread  out  over  the  lake  and  was  beautiful. 
Soon  he  said,  "Now  we  will  go  to  the  canoe.' ' 

When  the  three  were  in  the  canoe,  the  young  man  said 
to  the  geese,  "Go  to  the  place  where  you  first  saw  me," 
and  then  he  sang,   "Row  me,  my  geese.     Row  me,  my 


The  geese  swept  the  canoe  over  the  lake  quickly  and 
then  Okteondo11  said  to  them,  "I  will  free  you  now,  but 
you  will  be  seen  year  after  year  and  people  will  call  you 
wild  geese,  and  you  will  always  fly  in  the  same  form  that 
you  had  in  pushing  the  canoe — a  flock  pointed  in  front 
and  broad  behind." 

The  geese  flew  away  and  Okteondo11  with  his  sister  and 
uncle  went  on  till  they  came  to  Haienthwus'  home.  Then 
they  all  lived  together  again. 


TEEE  WOEM  AND  HIS  MOTHER-IN-LAW, 
BARKWOEM 


Characters 


Haiendonis  . .  .He,  woodmaker  (A  large  tree  worm) 

Yeno°gaa She,  Shingled  Hair 

Yenogeau11 Ear  Enter  (Barkworm) 

Gasyondetha Meteor 


HAIENDONIS  was  walking  along  with  all  of  his 
effects  in  a  bundle.  He  didn't  know  where  he  came 
from  or  where  he  was  going,  though  he  knew  he  was  going 
in  a  northerly  direction.  Wherever  darkness  overtook  him, 
there  he  put  his  bundle  on  the  ground,  went  inside  of  it 
and  spent  the  night,  if  he  didn  't  find  a  hollow  tree  to  sleep 
in. 

He  traveled  a  long  time.  Then  one  morning  he  came 
to  a  precipice.  It  was  very  far  to  the  bottom  and  he  didn't 
know  how  he  was  to  get  down  with  so  large  a  pack  on  his 
back. 

At  last  he  put  the  pack  on  the  ground  and  going  to  a 
basswood  tree  stripped  it  of  bark,  split  the  bark  into  strings, 
tied  the  strings  together  and  made  a  long  rope.  Then 
fastening  one  end  of  the  rope  to  a  hemlock  tree  on  the 
edge  of  the  precipice,  he  let  the  other  end  down,  took  hold 
of  the  rope  near  the  tree  and  lowered  himself.  Soon  he 
was  at  the  end  of  the  rope,  and  he  clung  there.  The 
bundle  on  his  back  pulled  the  upper  part  of  his  body 
over  till  he  was  in  nearly  a  horizontal  position,  face  up- 
ward.   He  couldn't  see  where  he  was.    He  almost  touched 

146 


TREE    WORM  147 

the  ground,  but  he  didn't  know  it.  He  thought,  "What 
can  I  do?  I  can't  hang  here  long.  Maybe  I  had  better 
let  go  and  fall.    I  can't  get  up  and  I  can't  go  down." 

He  decided  to  let  go  of  the  rope  and  fall.  As  soon  as 
he  dropped  the  rope,  the  pack  on  his  back  touched  the 
ground  and  his  head  rested  on  the  pack,  but  he  thought 
he  was  falling  all  the  time.  At  last  he  said  to  himself, 
"lam  tired  of  falling.  I'll  try  and  turn  over  a  little  so 
I  can  see  where  I  am  going." 

He  turned  and  found  that  he  was  on  the  ground.  Say- 
ing, "Oh,  how  I've  been  delayed  by  not  knowing  that  the 
ground  was  at  the  end  of  the  rope!"  he  got  up  and  went 
on. 

When  night  came  Haiendonis  slept  in  a  hollow  tree  or 
in  his  bundle.  He  traveled  many  days.  When  he  was 
tired  of  traveling  he  looked  around  for  a  good  place  to 
live  in.  At  last  he  stopped  where  the  trees  were  only  a 
short  distance  apart.  He  built  a  cabin,  took  his  pack  in- 
side and  arranged  his  blankets,  pouches,  ladles,  and  bark 
bowls.  The  next  morning  he  went  out  to  hunt  for  food. 
He  saw  a  deer,  pointed  at  it,  and  the  deer  fell  dead.  Every 
kind  of  game  was  under  his  control,  when  he  went  home 
he  didn't  carry  the  game.  He  stood  near  the  house,  and 
said,  "Let  the  game  I  have  killed  be  piled  up  here  at  the 
door.  Let  it  be  dressed  and  hung  up  to  dry."  In  the 
morning  the  meat  was  drying  and  a  pile  of  skins  lay  at 
the  door. 

One  day,  when  Haiendonis  was  hunting,  he  saw  a 
Gasyondetha  and  pointing  his  finger  at  him  killed  him, 
for  he  wanted  the  skin  for  a  pouch.  Going  farther  he 
killed  a  panther  and  then  a  fox.  "Now,"  thought  he, 
"I'll  have  three  new  pouches."  The  next  morning  the 
three  skins  were  hanging  on  the  side  of  the  cabin.  "What 
will  I  do  with  these  pouches?"  thought  Haiendonis,  then, 
taking  down  the  skin  of  Gasyondetha  he  said  to  it,  "Stand 
here,  alive!"  That  instant  Gasyondetha  stood  alive  be- 
fore him. 

Haiendonis  brought  the  three  skin  pouches  to  life  and 
had  them  stand  inside  the  house. 

Soon  it  was  known  that  a  man,  who  was  full  of  witch- 
craft, had  settled  down  in  the  neighborhood.     That  if  he 


148  SENECA    MYTHS 

wanted  to  kill  an  animal  or  a  man  he  had  only  to  point 
a  finger  at  them.    People  were  afraid  of  him. 

Not  far  from  Haiendonis'  house  lived  a  woman  and 
her  three  daughters.  The  woman  was  full  of  witchcraft 
and  had  come  there  to  settle  down  because  no  one  wanted 
to  live  near  her. 

One  day  this  woman  said  to  her  daughters,  "We  will 
grind  corn  and  make  bread." 

Each  woman  had  a  pounder.  Soon  the  corn  was  flour 
and  the  mother  made  it  into  bread.  Then  she  filled  a 
basket  and  said  to  the  eldest  daughter,  "I  want  you  to 
go  to  Haiendonis  and  see  if  he  will  marry  you." 

The  girl,  whose  name  was  DEYONDEnNiGOnGENYOs,  started 
with  the  basket. 

Haiendonis  saw  a  girl  coming  with  a  basket  on  her 
back,  and  he  thought,  "There  is  a  woman  coming,  I  think 
she  is  coming  to  see  me.  I  wonder  if  she  wants  to  marry 
me?"  Then  he  said  to  his  pouches,  ' ' Gasyondetha,  go 
over  there  and  stand  by  the  tree!  You,  Panther,  go  and 
stand  a  little  nearer  this  way;  and  you,  Fox,  stand  at  the 
door." 

When  the  girl  was  near,  Haiendonis  began  to  smoke 
his  pipe.  She  walked  along  with  her  head  down  and  did 
not  see  Gasyondetha  till  she  was  right  at  his  side.  Then, 
looking  up,  and  seeing  such  a  fierce  person,  she  turned 
and  ran.  As  she  ran,  the  bread  fell  out  of  the  basket  and 
when  she  reached  home  she  had  lost  it  all. 

"What  is  the  matter?"  asked  Barkworm,  her  mother. 

The  girl  was  out  of  breath  and  couldn't  answer. 

Haiendonis  laughed  and  watched  the  girl  till  she  got 
home. 

After  a  few  days  the  mother  said,  "We  will  grind  corn 
and  make  bread." 

The  girls  pounded  corn  into  flour  and  Barkworm  made 
the  flour  into  bread.  Then  she  said  to  her  second  daughter, 
"Take  the  basket  and  go  to  Haiendonis,  your  sister  is  a 
coward." 

Haiendonis  saw  the  girl  coming,  with  a  basket  on  her 
back,  and  said,  "Here  comes  another  woman,  she  will  soon 
be  spilling  her  bread." 

He  stationed  the  pouches  as  before.    The  girl  came  with 


TREE    WORM  149 

her  head  down  till  she  reached  Gasyondetha,  then,  look- 
ing up  and  seeing  him,  she  said,  ' '  I  'm  not  afraid  of  you ! ' ' 
and  went  on.  She  passed  the  panther  and  came  to  the 
door  of  the  cabin.  In  the  doorway  stood  a  man  switching 
something  against  the  door.  The  girl  was  frightened ;  she 
screamed,  turned  around,  and  began  to  run.  As  she  ran 
she  spilled  the  bread  out  of  her  basket. 

Haiendonis  laughed,  and  watched  the  girl  till  she 
reached  home. 

After  a  few  days  Barkworm  said  to  her  daughters, 
"We  will  try  again.' '  She  made  bread,  filled  a  basket  with 
it,  and  said  to  her  youngest  daughter,  Yenodgaa,  "You 
must  go  this  time.  Don't  notice  anything  or  be  afraid 
of  anything.    Go  straight  into  the  house." 

When  Haiendonis  saw  the  girl  coming,  he  said,  "It  is 
strange  how  little  those  women  care  for  bread.  There  is 
another  one  coming  and  when  she  gets  near  she  will  turn 
and  run,  spilling  her  bread  as  she  goes." 

When  the  girl  came  to  where  Gasyondetha  stood  she 
looked  at  him,  then  she  gave  him  a  blow,  and  he  fell  to 
the  ground,  and  was  nothing  but  a  skin  pouch.  She 
treated  Panther  in  the  same  way.  When  she  came  to  the 
door,  Fox  stood  there,  the  wind  was  switching  his  tail 
against  the  door,  this  had  frightened  the  second  sister, 
but  YENOnGAA  was  not  afraid.  She  struck  Fox  and  down 
he  went,  nothing  but  a  skin  pouch. 

When  Haiendonis  saw  the  girl  knocking  down  his 
guards,  he  thought,  "She  will  come  in!  I  will  get  my 
pipe  and  pretend  to  be  an  old  man." 

As  the  girl  pushed  the  skin  door  aside  she  asked,  * '  Where 
is  Haiendonis?" 

No  answer.  She  asked  again,  then  an  old  man  sitting 
there,  said, ' '  It  seems  to  me  that  I  hear  a  woman  speaking. ' ' 

The  girl  spoke  louder. 

The  the  old  man  looked  up  and  said,  "I  don't  think  he 
is  at  home.     I  don't  think  he  will  be  here  for  ten  days." 

"Very  well,"  said  the  girl,  "I  will  come  in  ten  days." 
And  she  went  home. 

At  the  end  of  ten  days,  the  girl  set  out  again.  When 
Haiendonis  saw  her  coming,  he  said,  "Now  I  will  be  a 
little  boy." 


150  SENECA    MYTHS 

This  time  the  girl  paid  no  attention  to  the  pouches.  She 
went  straight  to  the  door  and  stood  there. 

"Come  in!"  said  a  little  boy. 

She  pushed  the  door  aside,  and  asked,  "Where  is  Haien- 
donis?" 

"He  went  out  a  little  while  ago,"  said  the  boy.  "He 
has  gone  to  the  other  side  of  the  world." 

"How  long  will  he  be  gone?" 

"He  said  he  would  be  back  in  ten  days." 

"Very  well.    I  will  come  again  in  ten  days." 

At  the  end  of  ten  days,  Haiendonis  saw  the  girl  coming 
and  he  thought,  "I'll  be  invisible  this  time." 

The  girl  w7ent  into  the  house  and  put  her  basket  down. 
Seeing  nobody  she  said,  "I  will  wait  a  while,"  and  she 
sat  down  on  Haiendonis'  couch. 

HAiendonis  laughed.  The  girl  jumped  up  and  ran 
home,  forgetting  her  basket. 

1 '  Where  is  your  basket  ? ' '  asked  Barkworm. 

The  girl  gave  no  answer,  but  her  mother  knew  where  it 
was. 

Haiendonis  had  cleaned  the  intestines  of  the  game  he 
had  killed,  filled  them  with  blood  and  meat,  cooked  them 
and  hung  them  up  over  his  couch,  some  of  these  intestines 
clung  to  the  girl.  Barkworm  took  them,  and  said,  ' '  Thank 
you,  my  daughter.  This  is  good  meat.  You  must  go  again 
to-morrow. ' ' 

The  next  morning  the  girl  started.  When  Haiendonis 
saw  her  coming,  he  laughed,  and  said,  "I  think  this  time 
all  the  intestines  will  go. ' ' 

She  found  him  in  his  real  form.  He  asked,  "What 
were  you  doing  with  the  basket  you  left  here  yesterday!" 

"It  was  full  of  marriage  bread.  My  mother  ient  me 
to  stay  with  you,"  said  the  girl. 

Haiendonis  did  not  drive  her  away.  He  ate  of  the  mar- 
riage bread  and  that  made  her  his  wife. 

The  next  day  Yeno^aa  said,  "I  want  to  go  to  my 
mother. ' ' 

"You  can  go,"  said  her  husband. 

Old  Barkworm  and  her  two  elder  daughters  were  evil- 
minded,  poisonous  persons.  Barkworm  now  began  to  give 
her  youngest  daughter  as  much  power  as  possible  and  to 


TREE    WORM  151 

instruct  her  how  to  control  Haiendonis.  "You  must  make 
him  come  and  live  with  us,"  said  she. 

When  YENOnGAA  came  back,  Haiendonis  looked  at  her 
and  right  away  he  knew  she  was  going  to  try  to  control 
him. 

Each  time  she  tried,  she  failed.  But  she  went  often  to 
her  mother  to  get  more  power  and  witchcraft.  Haien- 
donis wondered  why  she  acted  this  way.  At  last  he  said 
to  himself,  "I  will  destroy  all  of  her  people."  The  next 
time  she  started  for  her  mother's,  he  followed,  circled 
around,  got  ahead  of  her  and  reached  the  old  woman's 
house  first. 

He  sprang  into  the  house,  and  said  to  old  Barkworm, 
"lam  here  to  fight  with  you." 

They  were  fighting  when  YENOnGAA  came.  She  stood 
at  one  side  powerless  to  help  either  her  husband  or  her 
mother  and  sisters. 

Haiendonis  killed  Barkworm  and  two  of  her  daughters, 
then  he  said  to  his  wife,  "Gooff  a  little  way. ' ' 

She  went,  and  he  set  fire  to  the  house.  It  blazed  up  high, 
then  burned  to  the  ground.  When  the  fire  died  down, 
something  among  the  coals  popped;  a  horned  owl  flew  to 
the  trees,  and  hooted;  a  second  pop  and  a  screech  owl 
called  out ;  at  the  third  pop  a  common  owl  flew  to  the  top 
of  a  tree. 

"Now  we  will  go  home,"  said  Haiendonis. 

The  woman  stood  still,  looking  in  one  direction;  she 
was  dazed.  He  pulled  her  along  by  the  arm,  and  said, 
"Come  home,"  then  she  started. 

The  minute  the  old  woman  was  killed,  people,  even  at 
the  edge  of  the  world,  knew  it,  and  a  shout  of  joy  was 
given  that  sounded  all  over  the  world. 

Haiendonis  put  saliva  on  his  hands,  rubbed  his  wife's 
head  and  pulled  her  hair,  which  till  then  had  been  short, 
and  right  away  it  became  long  and  beautiful.  Now  they 
lived  in  Haiendonis'  house  and  were  happy. 


COLD  AND  FROST,  OE  STONE  COAT  WOMEN 


Characters 


Hino'   Thunder 

GENOnSKWA Stone  Coat  (Cold  and  Frost) 


ONCE  four  men  started  off  on  a  hunting  expedition. 
They  went  in  canoes  up  a  large  river.  These  men 
were  the  first  men  to  make  a  canoe.  When  the  chief  of 
the  party  said,  "We  will  land  at  King  Fisher's  place," 
the  men  were  glad  for  they  had  been  out  a  number  of 
days.  After  they  had  drawn  their  canoes  to  the  bank  the 
chief  said,  "Each  man  must  do  his  best,  must  bring  in  all 
the  game  he  can." 

The  next  morning  the  chief  asked  the  sun,  the  moon 
and  the  stars  to  help  them,  and  give  them  success  in  get- 
ting game. 

The  men  were  good  hunters  and  soon  they  had  plenty 
of  meat.  Then  two  of  the  party  said,  "We  are  going 
farther  into  the  forest  to  hunt  for  elk." 

"You  must  be  careful,"  said  the  old  man,  "and  not  go 
too  far  away  from  a  trail;  something  might  happen." 

One  of  the  men  was  stubborn,  he  always  wanted  his  own 
way.  He  wouldn't  follow  the  old  man's  advice.  But  he 
went  farther  than  he  intended. 

When  night  came  all  the  party  returned  to  camp  except 
the  subborn  man  and  as  they  gathered  around  the  fire  they 
talked  of  him  and  said  he  must  have  gone  far  into  the 
forest. 

The  man  traveled  all  day.  When  night  overtook  him 
he  built  a  fire.  After  a  while  he  heard  voices  and  looking 
across  the  river  that  was  near  where  he  had  camped,  he 

152 


COLD   AND    FROST  153 

saw  two  women  and  a  baby.  The  baby  was  crying.  One 
of  the  women  sat  down  and  nursed  it.  The  man  was  glad 
that  there  were  people  around. 

Soon  one  of  the  women  noticed  that  there  was  a  man 
on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  and  she  called  out,  ' '  How 
did  you  cross,  brother? " 

It  seemed  strange  to  him  that  he  could  hear  her  words 
from  such  a  distance,  but  he  told  her  to  come  straight 
toward  his  fire. 

Again  the  woman  asked,  "How  did  you  cross,  brother?" 
and  he  repeated,  "Come  straight  toward  my  fire."  She 
asked  a  third  time,  and  a  third  time  he  answered,  ' '  Come 
straight  toward  my  fire."  He  began  to  be  frightened, 
began  to  think  that  maybe  they  were  Stone  Coats,  though 
they  looked  like  women. 

The  younger  woman  asked,  "Can  we  stay  all  night  by 
your  fire?" 

1 '  If  you  come  over,  you  may  stay  by  my  fire, ' '  answered 
the  man. 

Looking  sharply  at  the  women  he  knew  now  that  they 
were  not  human  beings.  One  said  to  the  other,  "If  we  go 
higher  up,  we  may  find  a  place  to  cross, ' '  and  they  started. 
Soon  they  came  to  the  log  where  the  man  had  crossed. 
"When  he  saw  them  coming,  he  ran  some  distance  down 
stream,  crossed  at  a  ford  and  went  to  a  point  opposite  his 
fire.  When  they  came  to  his  fire  and  saw  that  he  was 
where  they  had  been,  one  called  out,  "Why  did  you  run 
away  from  us?  Nothing  will  happen  to  you.  Come  back. 
We  won't  harm  you."  One  of  the  women  picked  up  his 
tomahawk  and  drew  her  finger  along  the  edge  of  it.  "I 
wonder  if  this  would  take  a  person 's  life  ? ' '  said  she. 

"Yes,"  called  the  man,  "it  would  take  any  one's  life. 
Put  it  down!" 

She  laid  it  down.  They  urged  him  to  come  to  the  fire. 
When  he  refused  they  were  angry  and  were  determined 
to  get  at  him.  They  started  for  the  crossing,  saying, 
"Wait  where  you  are  till  we  come  over." 

"Very  well,"  answered  the  man,  but  when  he  saw  them 
crossing  he  ran  to  the  ford  and  when  they  reached  the 
place  where  he  had  been  he  was  on  the  opposite  side,  by 
the  fire. 


154  SENECA    MYTHS 

The  women  couldn't  walk  side  by  side,  one  followed 
the  other,  the  younger  woman  carried  the  baby. 

When  they  saw  the  man  standing  by  his  fire  the  elder 
woman  called  to  him,  "A  time  will  come  when  I  will  get 
at  you!" 

' 'You  kill  people,"  said  the  man. 

"You  are  not  able  to  kill  any  one,"  replied  the  woman. 

"  I  '11  show  you  what  I  can  do, ' '  said  the  man.  He  drew 
his  tomahawk  and  struck  a  rock;  great  pieces  split  off. 

"I  think  he  can  kill  us,"  said  the  woman. 

Picking  up  his  bow  the  man  aimed  at  a  tree;  the  arrow 
went  straight  to  the  mark.  The  woman,  seeing  his  skill, 
was  astonished  and  thought,  "He  is  a  man  to  be  feared." 

"That  man  must  be  H1no'  (Thunder),"  said  the  younger 
woman. 

"He  is  dodging  around,"  said  the  elder,  "but  I  will 
kill  him ! ' '  She  was  angry  because  he  tried  to  keep  away 
from  them. 

When  the  man  saw  the  women  recrossing  the  river  he 
went  into  the  river  and  under  the  water.  They  couldn't 
see  him.  He  stayed  in  the  river  till  daylight,  then  he 
started  off  toward  the  camp  where  his  companions  were. 
He  was  a  swift  runner,  but  about  midday  he  heard  a  voice 
say,  ' '  Now  I  have  caught  you ! ' ' 

When  he  knew  that  the  women  were  behind  him  he 
did  his  best,  but  his  strength  was  failing.  Finding  that 
he  couldn't  escape  by  running,  he  climbed  a  tree.  He  had 
just  reached  a  place  in  the  thick  branches  when  the  elder 
woman  came  and  stood  under  the  tree.  Her  daughter, 
who  was  carrying  the  child,  ran  up;  the  mother  nursed 
the  child  and  then  said,  "We  must  hurry  and  overtake 
him!"  (Stone  Coats,  because  of  their  clothing,  couldn't 
look  up,  so  the  woman  didn't  see  the  man.)  When  she 
wanted  to  know  how  far  away  he  was,  she  took  a  tiny 
finger  out  of  her  bosom  and  put  it  on  the  palm  of  her  hand. 
The  finger  stood  erect  and  pointed  straight  at  the  man. 

That  minute  the  man  slipped  down,  snatched  the  finger 
and  ran  off.  The  finger  was  of  great  service;  the  man 
could  run  faster.  It  was  an  adviser  also  and  pointed  out 
the  road  to  be  taken.  The  man  consulted  the  finger  to 
find  how  far  he  was  from  camp  and  in  what  direction  it 


COLD   AND    FROST  155 

was.  The  finger  raised  a  little  and  pointed  in  a  certain 
direction.  After  he  had  run  some  distance  he  consulted 
the  finger  again.  It  hardly  rose  from  his  hand.  He  knew 
then  that  he  was  near  his  comrades.  When  he  reached 
camp,  he  ate,  regained  his  strength  and  then  told  his  story, 
but  he  didn't  tell  about  the  finger.  The  chief  of  the  party 
said,  "We  must  gather  up  our  things  and  go  home.', 

When  the  men  were  in  their  canoes  and  were  pushing 
away  from  the  bank,  they  saw  a  woman  coming.  She  was 
crying.  When  near  enough  she  called  out,  "Give  back 
what  you  have  taken  and  you  will  be  successful.  If  you 
return  what  belongs  to  me,  you  will  have  good  luck." 

"What  did  you  take  from  her?'/  asked  the  chief. 
"Whatever  it  was  it  may  be  true  that  we  will  have  good 
luck  if  you  give  it  back." 

The  man  drew  out  the  finger  and  showed  it  to  his  com- 
rades. 

"Let  her  have  it  if  she  will  promise  not  to  molest  us 
again,"  said  the  chief. 

The  man  put  the  finger  on  the  palm  of  his  hand  and 
reached  it  toward  the  woman  as  far  as  he  could  and  she 
reached  to  get  it.  She  slipped,  fell  into  the  river,  and  sank. 
They  saw  only  bubbles. 

1 '  Let  us  be  off  quickly ! ' '  said  the  man,  and  they  rowed 
away  as  fast  as  they  could.  They  reached  home  in  safety. 
The  man  kept  the  finger.  He  became  very  expert  in  hunt- 
ing for  he  always  consulted  the  finger.  When  he  put  it 
on  his  palm  and  asked  where  game  was,  it  rose  and  pointed 
in  the  direction  the  animal  would  be  found.  And  as 
long  as  the  man  lived  he  had  a  supply  of  all  things  good 
to  eat. 


THE  GANYO  GOWA 
[A  Delaware  story  told  by  John  Armstrong] 


Characters 
Ganyo  gowa Great  Game  (White  deer) 


AN  old  man  lived  in  a  forest.  All  of  his  relatives  had 
been  carried  off.  He  was  alone  except  for  an  infant 
that  had  been  left  without  parents.  He  fed  the  child  and 
it  grew  fast.  When  the  boy  was  five  or  six  years  of  age 
he  asked  where  his  father  and  mother  were.  "An  enemy 
killed  them,"  answered  the  old  man,  and  he  would  say 
no  more. 

The  second  time  the  boy  asked,  the  old  man  said,  ' '  They 
went  in  the  direction  of  the  Ganyo  gowa  (great  game),,, 
but  he  wouldn't  tell  in  what  direction  that  was. 

One  day  the  little  boy  started  off  to  look  for  Ganyo 
gowa.  He  had  not  gone  far  when  he  came  to  a  lake  and 
on  the  lake  was  a  beautiful  swan.  He  aimed  an  arrow 
at  the  swan  and  killed  it.  Then  he  didn't  know  how  to 
get  the  bird  for  he  hadn't  a  canoe.  At  last  he  made  a 
bark  string,  fastened  a  stone  to  the  end  of  it,  threw  the 
stone  beyond  the  swan,  and  drew  the  bird  in.  He  shook 
the  bird  till  it  was  small  and  putting  it  on  his  back,  started 
for  home.  When  near  the  house  he  placed  the  swan  on  the 
ground,  struck  it  till  it  was  as  large  as  when  he  killed  it, 
and  going  into  the  house  he  said  to  his  grandfather,  "  I  've 
killed  the  Ganyo  gowa." 

"You  shouldn't  have  killed  that  bird,"  said  his  grand- 
father. "Take  it  back  to  the  lake  and  bring  it  to  life. 
That  is  not  the  Ganyo  gowa." 

153 


THE    GANYO    GOWA  157 

The  boy  took  the  swan  to  the  lake,  put  it  on  the  water, 
and,  giving  it  a  push,  said,  ''Go  off  and  live  in  the  water." 
The  bird  came  to  life  and  swam  away. 

When  the  boy  again  asked  about  his  parents,  the  old 
man  said,  "A  creature  that  lives  in  a  wizard  spring  killed 
them, ' '  and  he  told  where  the  spring  was. 

The  boy  started  and  at  midday  came  to  the  spring.  The 
water  looked  cool  and  refreshing,  he  wanted  to  drink, 
but  was  afraid  to;  he  put  his  foot  into  the  water  to  see 
what  would  happen.  The  instant  his  foot  touched  the 
water,  a  terrible  creature  caught  it  and  pulled  his  leg  off. 

Now  the  boy  had  but  one  leg.  "Well,"  thought  he, 
"111  try  again,  I  may  as  well  lose  the  other  leg."  The 
instant  his  foot  touched  the  water  his  leg  was  off. 

Then  saying,  "though  I've  lost  my  legs,  111  kill  this 
creature."  He  pulled  hairs  out  of  his  head  and  braided 
them  into  a  rope,  put  a  wooden  hook  on  the  end  of  the 
rope  and  cut  off  bits  of  his  own  flesh  for  bait. 

As  soon  as  he  dropped  the  hook  into  the  spring  the 
creature  swallowed  it.  When  the  boy  jerked  the  creature 
out  on  to  the  ground  it  cried  pitifully  and  begged  to  be 
thrown  into  the  water. 

The  boy  put  the  hook  into  the  spring  a  second  time  and 
drew  out  another  creature  like  the  first.  When  they 
begged  to  be  thrown  back,  he  said,  "I  can  do  nothing  for 
you  till  I  have  my  legs. ' '  They  gave  him  his  legs ;  he  spat 
on  them,  put  them  to  his  body,  and  was  as  well  as  ever. 
Then  he  gathered  a  great  quantity  of  dry  wood  and 
branches  and  setting  fire  to  the  pile,  burned  up  the  Wizards 
of  the  Spring. 

Then  he  traveled  on  till  he  came  to  a  small  house  in 
an  opening  in  the  forest.  On  the  top  of  the  house  sat  two 
white,  horned  owls.  As  soon  as  the  owls  saw  the  boy,  they 
called  out  to  some  one  in  the  house,  "Wake  up,  old  man. 
Somebody  is  coming." 

The  boy  ran  into  the  house,  and  found  there  an  old 
white-haired  man,  who  was  sleeping,  and  in  his  bosom  was 
a  beautiful  white  deer.  Straightway  the  deer  left  the  old 
man  and  going  to  the  boy  crept  into  his  bosom. 

The  boy  started  for  home  and  as  he  went  all  the  animals 
in  the  world  and  all  the  birds  in  the  world  followed  him. 


158  SENECA    MYTHS 

When  he  reached  the  edge  of  the  forest,  the  white-haired 
old  man  woke  up  and  finding  himself  alone,  said,  "My 
brother  must  have  another  grandson;  he  has  been  here 
and  stolen  my  white  deer."  And  taking  a  club  he  fol- 
lowed the  boy. 

When  he  overtook  him  he  asked,  "Why  did  you  steal 
my  white  deer?" 

"What  do  you  want  of  the  deer?"  asked  the  boy,  "You 
are  an  old  man.  I  am  young ;  the  deer  will  be  more  useful 
for  me  than  for  you." 

The  man  caught  the  boy,  pounded  his  head  flat,  and, 
leaving  him  for  dead,  took  the  white  deer  and  went  home. 
He  sat  down  in  his  house  and  fell  asleep  with  the  deer 
in  his  bosom. 

When  the  boy  came  to  his  senses  and  found  that  his  head 
was  flattened  out  he  put  up  both  hands  and  pressed  it 
back  into  shape.  Then  he  went  again  to  the  old  man's 
house.  No  sooner  was  he  inside  the  house  than  the  deer 
was  in  his  bosom,  and  when  he  started  for  home  all  the 
birds  and  beasts  in  the  world  followed  him.  The  minute 
he  reached  the  edge  of  the  forest  the  old  man  woke  up 
and  pursued  him. 

The  boy  beat  the  old  man  to  death  with  a  club,  then 
went  on  till  he  came  to  his  grandfather's  house.  When 
he  told  what  he  had  done  his  grandfather  cried,  and  said, 
"You  have  killed  my  brother!" 

That  night,  while  the  boy  was  sleeping,  the  old  man 
stuck  three  arrows  in  his  back,  when  he  woke  up  his 
back  was  stiff  and  sore  and  he  said  to  himself,  ' i  My  grand- 
father has  been  trying  to  kill  me. ' ' 

He  pulled  the  arrows  out  and  said  to  the  old  man,  ' '  You 
have  tried  to  kill  me.  Now  I'll  go  away  and  leave  you 
here  alone." 

Early  in  the  morning  the  boy  started  off  toward  the 
West,  taking  with  him  the  white  deer  and  all  the  game  that 
runs  and  flies.  He  traveled  on  till  he  came  to  an  opening 
in  the  forest  and  saw  a  house.  Then  he  put  the  deer  in 
a  hollow  tree  and  went  toward  the  house.  On  the  way 
he  met  a  boy  of  his  own  size. 

"Where  do  you  come  from?"  asked  the  strange  boy. 

"From  the  East." 


THE   GANYO    GOWA  159 

"That  is  the  country  of  the  Ganyo  gowa,  the  deer  that 
commands  all  the  birds  and  animals  that  live  in  the  world.' ' 

"The  Ganyo  gowa  belongs  to  me,"  said  the  boy. 

"Can  you  call  any  kind  of  game  you  want?" 

"I  can." 

"Will  you  come  with  me  and  kill  coons?" 

The  two  boys  went  on  till  they  came  to  a  large  tree 
covered  with  coon  scratches.  They  climbed  the  tree  and 
killed  many  coons.  They  carried  the  coons  to  the  house 
and  each  boy  made  himself  a  coon  skin  blanket. 

The  two  boys  were  so  happy  that  they  decided  to  live 
together  always.  So  the  boy  from  the  East  went  to  the 
hollow  tree  and  taking  the  white  deer  out  told  it  to  go 
wherever  it  wished.  He  liberated  the  Ganyo  gowa  and 
from  that  time  animals  and  birds  roam  the  world  at  will. 


WOLF  AND  THE  OLD  WOMAN'S  GRANDSON 


Characters 


Dadyoeddzadases,    One    name    for    Wolf — He    who 
travels  around  the  world 

Hadjoqdja Skin  Man 

Otsoon  Turkey 

Gaqga' Raven 


AN  old  woman  and  her  grandson  lived  together  in  a 
forest.  They  were  poor,  for  the  woman  had  no  one 
to  help  her  and  her  grandson  was  a  little  boy.  The  woman 
cried  all  the  time.  Each  day  she  went  to  the  forest  for 
fire-wood  and  whether  going  or  coming  she  cried  without 
ceasing.  She  felled  a  tree  by  burning  it,  then,  when  it 
was  on  the  ground,  she  burned  the  trunk  and  limbs  into 
pieces  short  enough  to  carry. 

One  day  the  boy  asked,  "Grandmother,  why  do  you 
cry?" 

She  didn't  answer. 

The  next  day  he  asked  again,  "Grandmother,  why  do 
you  cry  all  the  time?" 

"Once,"  said  the  old  woman,  "I  had  many  brothers 
and  relatives,  but  now  they  are  dead."  And  taking  the 
boy  by  the  hand  she  led,  him  to  a  door  that  opened  into 
a  room  he  had  never  seen  before.  In  the  room  were 
weapons  of  every  kind ;  bows  and  arrows,  flint  knives,  ball 
clubs,  balls  covered  with  beads,  and  many  turtle-shell 
rattles. 

160 


THE  OLD  WOMAN'S  GRANDSON     161 

The  boy  wondered  at  what  he  saw  and  wanted  to  touch 
the  weapons.  His  grandmother  said,  "You  must  never 
touch  these  things  or  come  into  this  room." 

The  next  morning  the  old  woman  started  for  wood  and 
as  soon  as  she  was  out  of  sight  the  boy  went  to  the  room, 
took  a  ball,  a  club,  and  a  rattle  and  went  out  of  doors  to 
play.  He  threw  the  ball.  It  went  far  East  and  he  ran 
till  he  found  it  in  a  clearing.  The  clearing  was  so  beau- 
tiful that  the  boy  was  glad  to  be  there.  He  stayed  a  long 
time  but  was  home  before  his  grandmother  came  with  the 
wood. 

The  next  day  the  boy  played  ball  and  was  home  before 
his  grandmother  came.  He  did  this  a  number  of  days, 
but  one  day  he  made  such  a  noise  with  the  rattle  that  the 
old  woman  heard  it.  She  hurried  home,  found  the  boy, 
scolded  him,  and  asked,  "Didn't  I  tell  you  not  to  touch 
those  things?" 

"Don't  scold,  Grandmother,"  said  the  boy,  "but  tell  me 
where  my  father  and  mother  and  my  brothers  and  cousins 
are." 

"You'll  never  see  them,"  answered  the  old  woman. 
"There  is  a  man,  far  away  in  the  East,  who  carries  off 
people  and  eats  them.  He  has  eaten  all  our  relatives.  His 
name  is  Dadyoe^zadases  (Wolf)." 

"Make  me  four  pairs  of  moccasins,"  said  the  boy.  "I 
am  going  to  bring  our  relatives  back." 

"You  are  not  going.  You  are  too  small,"  said  his 
grandmother,  but  nevertheless  she  began  to  get  him  ready 
for  the  road. 

When  ready,  the  boy  started  off.  He  traveled  many 
days  and  at  last  came  to  a  broad  opening  in  a  forest.  In 
the  middle  of  the  opening  was  a  house  and  in  a  field 
close  by  was  a  man  who  looked  like  an  inflated  skin.  He 
was  on  a  platform  and  was  swinging  back  and  forth  from 
north  to  south  and  watching  a  big  strawberry  patch. 

The  boy  stopped  just  at  the  edge  of  the  forest  and  call- 
ing a  mole,  said  to  it,  "I  want  to  borrow  your  coat  for  a 
while. ' ' 

The  boy  took  off  his  blanket,  hid  it  behind  a  tree,  made 
himself  small,  put  on  the  skin  of  the  mole  and  went  under 
the  leaves  and  under  the  ground  till  he  came  to  the  place 


162  SENECA    MYTHS 

where  the  skin  man  was  swinging,  then  he  called  out, 
"Come  down,  my  friend,  I  want  to  talk  to  you." 

The  skin  man  (Hadjoqdja)  dropped  to  the  ground  and 
the  boy  promised  to  free  him  and  give  him  back  his  body 
if  he  would  tell  him  the  secret  of  the  opening. 

Hadjoqdja  said,  "Wolf  lives  in  that  house  over  there. 
Every  day  he  goes  around  the  world.  He  catches  and 
kills  people,  brings  them  home  and  eats  them.  He  has 
three  sisters,  who  live  in  the  house  with  him.  They  are 
great  witches.  Each  day  they  cook  human  flesh  and 
pounded  green  corn,  for  Wolf  will  eat  nothing  else.  The 
sisters  spend  most  of  their  time  driving  elk  out  of  this 
field.  Neither  Wolf  nor  his  sisters  have  hearts  in  their 
bodies.  No  one  can  kill  them,  for  their  lives  are  in  an- 
other place.  In  a  corner  of  the  house  is  a  couch,  under 
the  couch  is  a  lake,  on  that  lake  a  loon  is  swimming  around, 
under  the  right  wing  of  the  loon  are  four  hearts.  The 
largest  heart  is  Wolf's,  the  second  largest  belongs  to  the 
eldest  sister,  the  smallest  belongs  to  the  youngest  sister. 
If  you  pinch  one  of  those  hearts  its  owner  will  fall  to 
the  ground,  if  you  crush  it  its  owner  will  die." 

The  boy  gave  Hadjoqdja  a  piece  of  false  wampum  that 
he  had  made  of  weeds  and  colored  with  strawberry  juice, 
and  said,  "The  sisters  are  calling  you.  Tell  them  you 
were  making  this  wampum,  that  is  why  you  waited  so 
long.  I  will  make  myself  like  their  brother  and  come  to 
the  house  spitting  blood.  When  I  am  in  the  house  I  will 
cause  an  elk  to  run  across  the  strawberry  patch.  You 
must  give  the  alarm  and  while  the  sisters  are  chasing  the 
elk,  I  will  take  the  hearts  away  from  the  loon." 

When  Hadjoqdja  reached  the  house  the  sisters  asked, 
' '  What  have  you  been  doing  ? ' ' 

"I've  been  making  wampum." 

The  sisters  wanted  the  wampum.  Hadjoqdja  divided 
it  between  them  then  told  them  that  their  brother  was 
sick. 

The  boy  went  back  to  the  mole  and  gave  him  his  coat, 
then  he  took  Wolf's  form  and  crossed  the  field,  spitting 
blood.  When  he  went  into  the  house  the  youngest  sister 
looked  at  him  and  said,  "This  isn't  our  brother."  The 
sisters  tried  the  boy  with  different  kinds  of  food  but  he 


THE  OLD  WOMAN'S  GRANDSON      163 

wouldn't  eat  anything  till  they  brought  him  human  flesh 
and  pounded  green  corn,  then  he  ate. 

While  the  boy  was  eating  Hadjoqdja  called,  "An  elk 
is  in  the  strawberry  patch ! ' ' 

The  sisters  caught  up  their  clubs  and  ran  out  to  drive 
the  elk  away.  The  boy  went  to  the  couch  and  raised  it 
up.  Underneath  was  a  lake  and  on  the  lake  a  loon  was 
swimming.  He  called  the  loon  to  him  and  asked  for  the 
hearts.  The  loon,  uncertain  whether  to  give  the  hearts 
or  not,  raised  its  left  wing. 

"Oh,  no,"  said  the  boy,  "the  hearts  are  under  your  right 
wing,  raise  that." 

The  loon,  satisfied  now,  gave  up  the  hearts.  The  boy 
took  them  and  left  the  house  just  as  the  sisters  were  coming 
back  from  chasing  the  elk.  Taking  his  own  form  he  called 
to  them,  "I've  got  your  hearts!     I've  got  your  hearts!" 

They  started  after  him  with  their  clubs.  As  the  eldest 
sister  was  about  to  catch  him  he  pinched  her  heart  and 
she  fell  to  the  ground;  when  the  second  sister  was  near 
he  pinched  her  heart  and  she  fell ;  the  third  sister  he  treated 
in  the  same  manner.  But  right  away  they  were  on  their 
feet  and  following  him.  Again  he  pinched  their  hearts 
and  they  fell. 

When  the  boy  had  amused  himself  long  enough  he 
crushed  the  hearts,  one  after  another,  and  the  three  sisters 
died.  He  cut  a  piece  of  flesh  from  each  sister  and  made 
a  stew  for  Wolf. 

When  the  man-eater  came  and  found  that  his  sisters 
were  not  in  the  house,  he  was  angry.  Hadjoqdja  told  him 
that  they  were  chasing  elk  that  had  been  in  the  straw- 
berry patch.  He  sat  down  to  eat  but  found  the  meat  so 
tough  that  he  cried  out,  "What  stuff  is  this?" 

Hadjoqdja  was  bold,  for  the  boy  stood  close  by  holding 
the  man-eater's  heart:  he  answered,  "You  are  eating  your 
sisters'  flesh." 

"I've  killed  your  sisters!"  called  out  the  boy. 

The  man-eater  rushed  at  him;  the  boy  ran  toward  a 
rock  and  as  the  man-eater  came  near  he  pinched  his  heart 
and  he  fell  to  the  ground.  When  the  boy  stopped  pinching 
the  man-eater  sprang  up.  Again  the  boy  pinched  the  heart 
and  again  the  man-eater  fell.     No  matter  how  he  tried, 


164  SENECA    MYTHS 

Wolf  could  only  go  as  far  as  the  boy  let  him.  When  tired 
of  the  sport,  the  boy  struck  the  heart  against  the  rock; 
the  man-eater  fell  and  died  at  once. 

On  every  side  of  the  rock  were  piles  of  human  bones; 
the  boy  gathered  the  bones  into  one  great  pile,  then 
placing  Hadjoqdja,  the  skin  man,  on  the  ground  with 
his  head  to  the  West,  his  feet  to  the  east,  he  went  to  a  tall 
hickory  tree  that  stood  close  by,  and  shouted,  ''Rise  up 
and  run,  or  the  tree  will  fall  on  you." 

A  crowd  of  people  sprang  up  and  ran  in  every  direc- 
tion. Hadjoqdja  had  his  body  again.  The  boy  said  to  him, 
"In  the  whole  world  there  is  no  such  strawberry  patch 
as  the  man-eater's,  henceforth  it  belongs  to  you  and  to  me." 

The  boy's  father  and  mother  and  relatives  were  among 
the  people  he  had  raised  up.  Telling  them  to  come  with 
him  he  went  to  his  grandmother's  cabin.  The  old  woman 
was  happy  now.  She  gathered  up  the  clothes  and  weapons 
she  had  kept  so  long  and  went,  with  her  grandson  and 
relatives,  to  the  strawberry  patch  in  the  opening  in  the 
forest.  The  other  men,  whom  the  boy  had  rescued,  brought 
their  families  and  settled  close  by;  there  were  many  kinds 
of  people  among  them  ■  the  Otsoon  and  Gaqga'  and  others. 
The  boy  and  his  relatives  belonged  to  the  Otsoon  people, 
so  did  Hadjoqdja,  the  Skin  Man. 


A  RACE  BETWEEN  BEAR  AND  TURTLE 


-  .<     K 


Characters 


Hanowa Turtle 

NonGWATGWA FOX 

Dasidowanes One  name  for  Bear  (Big  Feet) 


AN  old  man  was  going  along,  slowly  and  surely,  by 
himself.  After  a  while  he  met  a  man,  who  asked, 
4 'Where  are  you  going ?" 

"lam  going  to  the  East  to  see  what  kind  of  people  live 
there." 

"You  will  never  reach  that  place,"  said  the  stranger, 
"It  is  far  off  and  you  are  too  old  and  fat  for  the  road." 

Each  "man  went  his  way. 

Soon  the  old  man  met  another  person,  a  lean  man,  who 
asked,  "Where  are  you  going?" 

"I'm  going  to  the  East  to  see  how  people  live  in  that 
place. ' ' 

"You  will  never  get  there,"  said  the  lean  man.  "You 
are  too  fat,  you  can 't  travel.    How  do  you  keep  so  f  at  ? " 

1 '  When  I  come  to  a  village  and  find  people  lying  around, 
I  bore  a  hole  in  each  one  who  pleases  me,  and  suck  his 
fat  out.     That  is  my  way  of  keeping  fat." 

"I'll  try  it,"  said  the  young  man.    "I  am  too  lean." 

Each  went  his  own  road.  Soon  the  lean  man  came  to 
an  opening  and  at  the  edge  of  the  woods  saw  an  animal 
asleep.  He  crawled  up,  carefully,  and  began  making  a 
hole  in  its  body  near  the  tail.  The  animal  sprang  up,  hit 
the  man  a  heavy  blow  with  its  heels  and  ran  off. 

"The  next  time  I  see  that  fat,  old  fellow  I'll  pay  him 

1G5 


166  SENECA    MYTHS 

for  fooling  me,"  said  the  lean  man.  He  went  farther  and 
met  the  old  man  a  second  time.  "How  do  you  keep  so 
fat?"  asked  the  lean  man. 

"  I  do  it  by  eating  fish.  I  put  my  tail  through  a  hole  in 
the  ice;  a  fish  bites.  I  pull  the  fish  out  and  eat  it.  That 
is  how  I  keep  fat." 

"Ill  try  that,"  thought  the  lean  man.  He  traveled  on 
till  he  came  to  a  river  and  found  a  good  place  to  fish. 
He  made  a  hole  in  the  ice,  stuck  his  tail  into  the  hole,  and 
waited,  waited  till  his  tail  began  to  bite  and  ache,  then 
he  tried  to  pull  it  out,  but  it  was  fast  in  the  ice.  He  pulled 
till  at  last  he  pulled  his  tail  off;  left  it  in  the  hole.  He 
went  his  way,  but  through  losing  his  tail  he  was  changed, 
was  another  kind  of  person.  When  summer  came  he 
traveled  around  till  he  met  the  fat  man. 

"Where  are  you  going?"  asked  the  lean  man. 

"I  am  going  East  to  see  who  lives  there." 

"You  will  never  reach  that  place,"  said  the  lean  man. 
"You  are  too  fat.    Come  and  run  a  race  with  me." 

1 '  Very  well,  you  may  run  on  land,  1 11  run  in  the  water. 
We'll  start'  to-morrow." 

The  fat  man  collected  a  number  of  his  people  and  posted 
them  in  the  river  from  the  starting  place  to  the  end  of  the 
course,  and  told  each  man  to  stick  out  his  head  when  the 
runner  came  almost  up  to  him.    The  wager  was  heads. 

They  started.  The  lean  man  ran  with  all  his  might,  but 
every  little  while  the  fat  man  stuck  his  head  out  of  the 
water,  he  was  always  in  advance.  When  the  lean  man 
came  to  the  goal  the  fat  man  was  there  before  him. 

"You've  won  the  race,"  said  the  lean  man. 

"Of  course  I  have!"  said  the  fat  man,  and  seizing  the 
lean  man  by  the  neck  he  dragged  him  to  a  rock  and  cut  his 
head  off. 

The  fat  man's  friends  came  out  of  the  river,  looked  at 
the  dead  runner,  and  said,  "Oh,  what  a  fool!  Oh,  what  a 
fool!" 

The  lean  man  was  a  bear.  Before  he  lost  his  tail,  he  was 
a  fox.  Since  that  time  all  bears  have  been  stub-tailed. 
The  fat  man  was  a  turtle.  As  all  turtles  look  alike  he 
easily  deceived  the  lean  man. 


THE  GRANDMOTHER  AND  GRANDSON 

A  GRANDMOTHER  and  her  grandson  lived  by  them- 
selves. After  the  boy  had  become  quite  large  his 
grandmother  said,  "Here  are  the  bow  and  arrows  that  your 
uncle  had.  A  witch  killed  him,  you  may  take  the  bow  and 
arrows  and  learn  to  use  them." 

The  next  morning  she  said,  "Go  out  and  try  to  kill 
birds.  Go  as  far  as  you  like,  but  don't  go  North."  She 
gave  him  a  breakfast  of  parched  corn.  x 

The  boy  went  through  the  woods  shooting  birds  and  by 
the  middle  of  the  day,  he  thought,  "I  will  go  home  now, 
my  Grandmother  will  be  glad;  I've  killed  so  many  birds. 

The  old  woman  was  glad,  she  dressed  the  birds,  pounded 
corn,  made  hominy  and  cooked  the  birds  with  the  hominy. 
The  next  morning  she  gave  the  boy  parched  corn  to  eat, 
and  as  he  was  starting  off  she  cautioned  him  against  going 
North.  By  the  middle  of  the  day  he  had  a  larger  string 
of  birds  than  before. 

When  he  came  home  his  grandmother  said,  Thank  you. 
Grandson,  we  are  well  off  now,  we  will  have  plenty  to  eat." 
That  night  she  talked  to  him,  said,  "My  Grandson,  you 
must  always  hunt  on  the  South  side,  never  go  toward 
the  North.  You  and  I  are  the  only  persons  left  of  our 
people.  If  you  listen  to  my  words,  and  are  obedient,  we 
shall  live."  m 

The  next  morning,  after  a  breakfast  of  parched  corn,  the 
•boy  started  off.  He  went  farther  than  on  the  previous 
days  and  saw  a  different  kind  of  game,  such  game  as  he 
had  not  seen  before.  While  the  birds  were  feeding  he 
got  around  in  front  of  them,  took  aim  and  hit  one  with  an 
i  Hunters  always  eat  parched  corn,  for  they  don't  get  hungry 
as  soon  on  that  as  on  other  foods. 

167 


168  SENECA    MYTHS 

arrow.  It  ran  a  little  way  and  fell  dead ;  the  rest  escaped. 
He  went  up  to  the  one  he  had  killed,  pulled  out  the  arrow, 
tied  a  bark  string  around  the  bird,  threw  it  over  his 
shoulder  and  started  for  home.  When  he  stood  at  the  door 
he  said  to  his  grandmother,  "I  have  larger  game  this 
time." 

The  old  woman  was  glad.  She  thanked  the  boy,  and  said, 
* '  This  is  what  we  call  turkey. ' ' 

She  dressed  the  bird  and  cooked  part  of  it.  They  ate 
together  and  the  grandmother  was  well  pleased. 

The  next  day  she  sent  the  boy  off  again.  He  went  a 
long  way  before  he  found  game.  About  midday  he  killed 
another  turkey,  tied  bark  around  its  body,  swung  it  on  his 
back  and  went  home  thinking  how  far  off  game  had  gone. 

The  next  morning  the  boy  started  away  as  usual.  After 
he  had  gone  a  short  distance  he  began  to  wonder  why  his 
grandmother  had  forbidden  him  to  go  North  when  game 
was  getting  so  scarce  in  the  South.  He  decided  to  go 
North  anyhow  and  turning  he  went  in  that  direction.  He 
saw  a  great  many  birds  but  presently  some  one  called 
out,  "I've  caught  you,  Nephew!" 

Looking  up  the  boy  saw  a  man  sitting  on  the  top  of 
several  trees  the  heads  of  which  he  had  drawn  together  and 
tied  in  a  bundle.    There  he  sat  as  in  a  nest. 

"Well,  Nephew,"  said  he,  "What  would  you  do  if  it 
should  rain  fish  spears?" 

"Oh,  I  should  be  thankful.    We  need  some." 

The  boy  ran  home  as  fast  as  he  could,  caught  hold  of  his 
grandmother's  hand,  and  said,  "Grandmother,  we  must 
run  and  hide!" 

"My  Grandson,"  said  the  old  woman  ,"You  have  been 
in  the  North  where  I  told  you  not  to  go." 

He  pulled  her  along  by  the  arm,  leaped  into  a  spring 
and  went  under  the  ground  till  they  came  to  a  rock.  They 
sat  down  under  the  rock  and  waited  a  long  time.  At  last 
the  boy  said,  "The  storm  is  over,  we  will  go  home." 

When  they  reached  home  their  house  was  level  with  the 
ground. 

"Oh,"  said  the  grandmother,  "this  comes  of  your  going 
North." 

"Never  mind,  Grandmother,"  answered  the  boy,  "I'll 


GRANDMOTHER  AND  GRANDSON    169 

have  a  house  soon. ' '  He  walked  around  a  space  as  large  as 
he  wanted  the  house  to  be,  then  commanded  a  house  to  fill 
that  space.  Immediately  the  house  was  there.  He  and  his 
grandmother  were  more  comfortable  than  before. 

In  the  morning  the  boy  ate  his  parched  corn  and  went 
toward  the  South,  hunting,  took  a  circuit  and  went  North 
saying,  "Yesterday  I  had  fun  with  that  man.  Ill  go  and 
see  what  he  will  do  to-day." 

The  birds  were  so  numerous  and  the  boy  was  so  occupied 
in  shooting  them  that  he  forgot  about  the  man  till  a  voice 
called  out, ' '  I  've  caught  you,  Nephew !  What  would  you  do 
if  I  should  send. a  shower  of  stones?" 

"Oh,  I  should  be  pleased.  Grandmother  often  needs 
stones  to  pound  her  corn." 

The  boy  ran  home,  took  his  grandmother  by  the  arm  and 
dragged  her  to  the  spring. 

"Oh,  Grandson,"  said  the  old  woman,  "You  have  been 
North  again!"  and  she  began  to  cry. 

They  went  into  the  spring  and  under  the  ground  till 
they  came  to  the  rock.  Then  they  sat  under  the  rock  and 
waited.  At  last  the  boy  said,  "The  storm  is  over,  we  will 
go  home." 

They  found  their  house  level  with  the  ground.  The 
boy  encouraged  his  grandmother  and  made  a  new  house. 
The  next  morning  after  he  had  eaten  parched  corn,  he 
started  off  toward  the  South  but  soon  turned  North. 

"Now,"  thought  he,  "I  won't  hunt,  111  catch  my 
uncle. ' ' 

He  went  some  distance,  called  a  mole,  and  said  to  it, 
"I  want  you  to  take  me  to  that  tree  over  there  and  go 
almost  up  to  the  man  who  sits  on  the  nest.  I  will  speak 
to  him  and  then  you  must  bring  me  back  to  this  place." 

The  boy  shook  himself  till  he  was  as  small  as  a  flea, 
then  he  hid  in  the  mole's  fur.  When  the  mole  was  near 
enough  the  boy  called  out,  "I've  caught  you,  Uncle!" 

The  man  looked  around  but  saw  no  one,  then  the  boy 
called  out,  "What  would  you  do,  Uncle,  if  a  whirlwind 
should  come?" 

"Oh,  Nephew,  don't  be  so  hard  on  me  as  that!" 

"I  didn't  talk  that  way  when  you  asked  me  about  spears 
and  stones,"  said  the  boy. 


170  SENECA    MYTHS 

The  mole  went  back  to  the  place  where  he  had  found  the 
boy,  the  boy  regained  his  own  size,  ran  home,  canght  hold 
of  his  grandmother  and  drew  her  to  the  spring.  They  dis- 
appeared in  the  water,  went  underground,  came  to  the 
rock  and  sat  under  it  till  the  boy  stopped  the  whirlwind. 
When  they  came  out  of  the  spring  they  found  trees  torn 
up  by  the  roots  and  their  house  level  with  the  ground. 
But  right  away  the  boy  built  a  house  by  walking  around  a 
space  and  commanding  it  to  be  there. 

The  next  morning  he  started  off  South,  but  when  out  of 
sight  of  the  house  he  turned  and  went  North  to  see  what 
had  become  of  his  uncle.  All  the  trees  were  torn  up  by 
the  roots  and  he  thought,  "My  uncle  must  be  dead  and 
buried  under  the  trees.  I  can  hunt  in  safety  now."  He 
shot  a  great  many  partridges  and  went  home. 

The  old  woman  was  glad  to  have  her  grandson  come 
quietly  bringing  game.  He  said,  "Grandmother,  I've  de- 
stroyed my  uncle,  he  is  no  longer  on  the  trees." 

"Well,"  said  the  grandmother,  "you  needn't  think  he 
was  alone  in  the  world;  his  brother  lives  in  a  house 
farther  on." 

The  next  morning  the  boy  ate  his  parched  corn  and 
started  off  determined  to  find  his  other  uncle.  He  came 
to  the  place  where  the  three  trees  were,  found  them  up- 
rooted and  his  uncle  dead.  Then  he  held  on  his  way  till 
he  came  to  an  opening  and  saw  a  house  with  smoke  rising 
through  the  smoke-hole. 

"I'll  go  there  and  look  in,"  thought  he,  "that  must  be 
the  place  where  my  uncle  lives."  He  went  to  the  house, 
opened  the  door,  looked  in  and  said  to  an  old  man  sitting 
there,  ' '  Well,  Uncle,  I  've  come  to  visit  you. '  ■ 

"Come  in,  my  Nephew,"  said  the  old  man.  "I  have  a 
rule  which  all  follow  who  come  here.  Everyone  who 
visits  me  must  run  with  me  across  this  field  and  back.  We 
bet  our  heads  on  the  race." 

"If  that  is  your  rule,  we  will  run,"  said  the  boy. 

They  went  outside.  The  old  man  made  a  mark  across 
the  opening,  and  said,  ' '  We  will  run  to  that  post  over  there 
at  the  end  of  the  opening.  If  I  get  back  and  cross  this 
line  first,  I'll  cut  your  head  off:  if  you  cross  first,  you'll 
cut  off  mine." 


GRANDMOTHER  AND  GRANDSON    171 

They  stood  side  by  side.  The  old  man  called,  "Now!" 
Off  they  started,  and  ran  to  the  post.  "When  half  way 
back  to  the  line  the  boy  fell,  a  sharpened  deer  horn  had 
stuck  into  his  foot.  He  sat  down,  pulled  out  the  horn  and 
threw  it  far  ahead ;  it  came  to  the  ground  right  in  front  of 
the  old  man.  He  had  gone  on  a  good  distance  while  the 
boy  was  sitting  down.  Now  he  ran  on  to  the  deer  horn.  He 
fell  and  while  he  was  pulling  the  horn  out  of  his^foot,  the 
boy  ran  ahead,  crossed  the  line  and  called  out,  "Uncle,  I 
have  won  the  race. ' ' 

The  old  man  disputed.  When  that  was  no  use  he  begged 
for  another  smoke,  but  the  nephew  refused,  took  a  sharp 
flint  knife  from  his  pocket,  seized  his  uncle  by  the  hair  and 
cut  off  his  head.  Then  he  pulled  the  body  into  the  house 
and  burned  the  house.  The  old  man's  head  burst  and  out 
flew  owls. 

The  boy  went  home  and  told  his  grandmother  what  he 
had  done,  she  said,  "You  have  a  third  uncle  farther  on. 
He,  too,  has  great  witchcraft." 

The  next  morning  the  boy  started  off  to  visit  the  third 
uncle.  He  passed  the  uprooted  trees  and  the  burned  house 
and  went  some  distance  through  a  forest.  When  he  came 
to  the  edge  of  the  forest,  he  saw  a  large  opening  and  a 
house  at  the  other  side  of  it,  and  he  said  to  himself,  "That 
must  be  the  house  of  my  third  uncle." 

He  went  on  till  he  came  to  the  house.  Going  in  he  said 
to  an  old  man,  who  was  sitting  there,  "Uncle,  I've  come 
to  visit  you." 

"Oh,  Nephew,  I  am  glad  you  have  come,"  said  the  old 
man,  "I  have  a  game  to  play.  Everyone  who  comes  here 
plays  with  me,  we  bet  heads." 

"What  is  the  game?" 

"We  hide  here  in  this  room.  I  will  hide  and  if  you  don't 
find  me  every  time  till  midday,  you  are  beaten  and  I'll 
cut  off  your  head.  If  you  find  me  every  time,  you  win  and 
will  cut  off  my  head. ' ' 

1 '  Very  well, ' '  said  the  nephew. 

"Now,"  said  the  old  man,  "You  must  lie  down  on  the 
ground  and  I'll  cover  you  up  with  an  elk  skin.  When  I 
am  ready,  I'll  let  you  know." 

The  boy  lay  down  and  was  covered  up  with  the  elk 


172  SENECA   MYTHS 

skin.  As  soon  as  the  old  man  covered  his  nephew,  the  boy 
turned  into  a  woodtick  and  got  on  to  his  uncle's  neck 
and  when  the  old  man  called  out,  ' '  Ready ! ' '  the  tick  called 
out,  "I've  found  you,  Uncle!" 

The  old  man  thought  the  voice  came  from  behind  him, 
he  hid  again,  and  again  the  tick  called  out, ' '  I  've  found  you, 
Uncle. ' '  He  looked  everywhere  but  couldn  't  see  his  nephew. 
Again  he  hid,  for  he  had  the  right  to  keep  on  hiding  till 
midday.  The  old  man  thought  the  boy  was  still  under  the 
elk  skin  and  he  wondered  how  he  could  find  him.  He  con- 
tinued to  hide,  but  was  always  found. 

Every  little  while  the  old  man  ran  out  to  look  at  the 
sun  and  then  hurried  back  into  the  house  to  hide.  At  last 
he  thought,  "I'll  hide  outside,"  but  the  boy  called  out, 
"That  won't  do,  my  Uncle,  you  said  we  must  hide  in  the 
house. '  ■ 

It  was  almost  midday,  the  old  man  was  frightened.  He 
ran  out,  got  a  long  pole  and  punched  the  sun  off  towards 
the  East,  then  he  ran  in  and  hid.  The  boy  called  out, 
"I've  found  you,  Uncle." 

Again  the  sun  was  almost  overhead;  the  old  man  ran 
out,  took  his  long  pole  and  pushed  it  towards  the  East,  and 
again  hid,  but  was  found.  At  last  the  sun  was  straight 
overhead  and  the  boy  called  out,  "I've  found  you,  Uncle. 
The  game  is  mine." 

The  old  man  begged  for  one  more  smoke,  but  the  nephew 
wouldn't  let  him  have  it.  He  cut  off  his  head,  dragged  him 
into  the  house  and  set  fire  to  the  house.  The  head  burst 
and  out  of  it  flew  owls. 

The  boy  went  home  and  told  his  grandmother  what  he 
had  done. 

She  said,  "You  have  a  fourth  uncle  worse  than  all  the 
others  and  I  advise  you  not  to  go  near  him,  harm  will 
come  to  you  if  you  do." 

The  next  morning  the  boy  went  toward  the  South,  then 
made  a  circuit  to  the  North.  He  passed  the  places  he  had 
destroyed  and  came  to  an  opening  with  a  house  in  the 
center.    In  the  house  was  a  very  old  man. 

The  boy  said  to  him,  "Uncle,  I've  come  to  visit  you." 

"Very  well,"  said  the  old  man,  "come  in  and  sit  down. 
I  have  a  game  that  I  play  with  all  who  come  to  visit  me. 


GRANDMOTHER  AND  GRANDSON    173 

I  play  dice.     We  each  have  one  throw  and  we  bet  our 
heads  on  it." 

"I'll  play  with  you,"  said  the  boy,  "but  first  I  11  go  to 
the  river."  -     ,  lf' 

On  the  river  there  was  a  flock  of  ducks.  The  boy  called 
to  the  ducks.  They  came  to  the  bank  and  he  said  to  them, 
1 '  I  have  to  play  a  game  and  I  want  your  help.  I  want  six 
right  eyes.     I'll  bring  them  back  soon." 

They  agreed,  and  he  took  the  right  eye  from  six  of  the 
ducks  and  said  to  the  eyes,  "When  the  old  man  plays,  some 
of  you  must  drop  into  the  bowl  with  your  sight  down,  but 
when  I  play  you  must  all  drop  in  looking  up." 

When  the  boy  went  back  to  the  house  he  said  to  the  old 
man,  "We  will  play  with  my  dice." 

They  spread  a  deer  skin  on  the  ground  and  put  the  bowl 
on  it. 

The  old  man  wanted  to  use  his  own  dice,  but  the  boy 
wouldn't  let  him. 

When  the  eyes  were  in  the  bowl,  he  asked  his  uncle  to 
take  the  first  throw. 

The  old  man  didn't  want  to  play  first,  but  after  dis- 
puting some  time  he  took  up  the  bowl  and  shook  it.  The 
eyes  went  up  slowly  to  the  top  of  the  smoke-hole,  as  ducks, 
quacking,  and  came  back  into  the  bowl  as  dice,  some  right 
side  up  and  others  wrong. 

The  boy  shook  the  bowl;  the  dice  flew  up  as  ducks, 
quacking  loudly,  went  out  at  the  smoke-hole  and  disap- 
peared in  the  clouds. 

The  old  man  kept  saying,  "No  count,  no  count!" 

The  boy  said,  "Count  five,  count  five." 

By  and  by  they  heard  the  ducks  coming  in  the  distance, 
and  soon  they  dropped  into  the  bowl  as  dice,  and  all  were 
right  side  up. 

"I've  won  the  game!"  cried  the  boy. 

The  uncle  begged  to  be  allowed  one  smoke,  but  the 
nephew  refused,  cut  off  his  head  with  a  flint  knife,  and  set 
fire  to  the  house. 

The  boy  took  the  six  eyes,  went  back  to  the  river  and 
called  the  ducks.  They  came,  he  moistened  the  eyes  with 
saliva  and  put  each  eye  in  its  own  place,  then  he  thanked 
the  ducks  and  set  them  free.    When  he  reached  home  and 


174  SENECA    MYTHS 

told  his  grandmother  what  he  had  done,  she  said,  "Now 
you  can  hunt  wherever  you  like;  there  is  no  one  to  harm 
you. ' ' 

The  boy  was  now  a  man.  He  could  kill  deer,  bear  and 
other  game,  but  he  had  to  go  so  far  that  he  always  came 
home  late  at  night.  He  didn't  like  this  and  one  day  he 
said  to  his  grandmother,  "I  am  tired  of  going  so  far  to 
hunt.  I  have  power  to  call  game  to  the  house.  I  will 
sing  and  game  will  come.', 

He  went  to  a  white  ash  tree  and  brought  home  wood  to 
make  arrows  and  by  night  he  had  a  great  many  arrows. 
The  next  morning  he  brought  a  deer  skin.  The  old  woman 
sat  down.  He  covered  her  with  the  skin,  and  said,  "You 
must  not  look  out,  if  you  do,  I  shall  leave  here  never  to 
come  back." 

He  placed  the  bundle  of  arrows  on  the  ground  outside 
and  began  to  sing,  "Come  to  me,  deer.  Come  to  me,  elks. 
Come  to  me,  bears.    Come  to  me,  coons." 

Soon  there  was  a  great  noise  in  the  forest ;  animals  were 
coming  from  every  side.  When  they  were  near  enough  the 
young  man  began  to  shoot. 

Bears,  coons  and  hedgehogs  were  climbing  over  the  house. 
The  old  grandmother  was  frightened  at  the  noise.  She 
took  the  deer  skin  off  from  her  head  and  looked  up  through 
the  smoke-hole  to  see  what  the  trouble  was.  That  instant 
a  white  deer  sprang  over  the  others,  seized  the  young  man 
on  his  horns,  and  ran  off  through  the  woods.  All  the 
animals  followed.     The  man  was  still  singing. 

The  old  woman  opened  the  door  and  saw  all  the  animals 
that  had  been  killed,  but  her  grandson  was  nowhere  to  be 
seen.    Then  she  remembered  his  words. 

While  the  white  deer  was  rushing  through  the  woods,  a 
pack  of  wolves  came  upon  its  track,  overtook  it  and  killed 
both  the  deer  and  the  man.  That  afternoon  the  clouds 
in  the  West  were  very  red,  the  grandmother  thought,  * '  That 
is  a  bad  sign,  my  grandson  is  in  trouble. "  This  was  the 
very  time  the  young  man  was  killed. 

The  next  morning  the  old  woman  followed  the  tracks  of 
the  game  hoping  to  find  her  grandson.  The  animals  had 
beaten  a  broad  trail  through  the  woods.  She  followed  the 
trail  till  evening.    About  the  time  she  saw  the  red  clouds 


GRANDMOTHER  AND  GRANDSON    175 

the  day  before,  she  came  upon  the  spot  where  her  grandson 
and  the  deer  were  killed.  She  found  pieces  of  bloody 
buckskin,  but  not  a  bone  or  a  bit  of  her  grandson's  body. 
Then  the  old  grandmother  gave  him  up  and  started  for 
home,  crying  as  she  went. 


BALD  EAGLE  SENDS  MUD-TUKTLE  TO  THE 
EDGE  OF  THE  WOELD 


Characters 


Do'nyonda Eagle 

Ganyaqde11  Hanowa  Mud- turtle 


ONCE  upon  a  time,  a  bald-headed  old  man  lived  on 
the  top  of  a  mountain,  and  his  wife  and  three 
children  lived  near  a  lake  about  half  way  to  the  summit 
of  the  same  mountain. 

Each  day  the  old  man  went  down  to  fish  in  the  lake. 
On  his  way  home  he  stopped  and  gave  some  of  the  fish  to 
his  wife,  and  thus  they  lived  well  and  happily.  After 
they  had  passed  many  years  in  this  manner,  the  old  man 
became  curious  to  know  how  large  the  world  is. 

Being  chief  of  his  people  he  called  a  council,  and  said, 
"I  want  to  know  how  large  the  world  is.  I  wish  some 
man  would  volunteer  to  find  Out." 

One  young  man  said,  "I  will  go  and  find  out." 

"Very  well,"  said  the  chief,  "How  long  will  you  be 
gone  1  * ' 

"I  can't  tell,  for  I  don't  know  how  far  I  shall  have  to 
travel." 

"Go,"  said  the  chief,  "And  when  you  return  you  will 
tell  us  about  your  journey." 

The  young  man  started  and  after  traveling  two  moons 
he  came  to  a  country  where  everything  was  white — the 
forests,  the  water,  the  grass.  It  hurt  his  feet  to  walk  on 
the  white  ground,  so  he  turned  back.  When  he  reached 
home  he  notified  the  chief. 

176 


BALD    EAGLE  177 

The  chief  said,  "I  don't  believe  that  he  has  been  to  the 
end  of  the  world,  but  I  will  call  a  council  and  we  will 
hear  what  he  has  to  say." 

When  the  people  were  assembled,  the  young  man  said: 
"I  did  not  go  very  far,  but  I  went  as  far  as  I  was  able." 
And  he  told  all  he  knew  of  the  White  Country. 

The  chief  said,  "We  must  send  another  man." 

They  sent  a  second  man.  He  was  gone  four  moons  and 
returned.  The  chief  called  a  council,  and  then  asked: 
"Did  you  go  to  the  end  of  the  world?" 

"No,"  said  the  man,  "but  I  went  as  far  as  I  was  able 
to  go.  Everything  was  as  it  is  here  till  I  came  to  the 
White  Country.  I  traveled  two  moons  in  the  White 
Country  and  could  go  no  farther.  I  could  not  have  lived 
had  I  continued  my  journey." 

The  chief  sent  a  third  man.  He  traveled  farther  than 
the  second  man,  then  came  back  and  related  that  there  were 
people  who  lived  in  white  houses  and  dressed  in  fur. 

The  chief  was  encouraged  and  he  sent  a  fourth  man. 
As  the  man  traveled  he  noticed  everything.  He  crossed 
white  rivers  and  white  lakes  and  was  gone  eight  moons. 

On  his  return,  he  said,  "I  came  back  quicker  than  I 
went,  for  I  came  a  shorter  way  and  reached  the  green  land 
sooner  than  I  would  if  I  had  come  on  the  trail  by  which  I 
went." 

The  chief  sent  a  fifth  man.  He  crossed  the  White  Coun- 
try and  beyond  that  he  found  a  place  where  there  was 
nothing  but  rocks.  He  climbed  very  high  then  went  down, 
and  so  he  went  up  and  down  till  he  wore  his  moccasins  off. 
He  was  gone  ten  moons  and  came  back. 

At  the  council  called  by  the  chief  the  man  said,  "I  passed 
over  the  White  Country,  crossed  rocky  places,  and  then 
came  straight  home.  It  cannot  be  very  far  across  the 
world. ' ' 

"How  did  you  know  the  way  home?"  asked  the  old 
man. 

"As  I  went  I  noticed  the  trees.  The  tops  of  the  hem- 
locks leaned  toward  the  East  and  our  home  is  in  that 
direction,  so  I  followed  the  bend  of  the  hemlocks." 

The  bald-headed  chief  was  learning  something  all  the 
time. 


178  SENECA    MYTHS 

Many  men  were  sent,  one  after  another,  and  each  re- 
turned with  a  story  a  little  different  from  that  told  by 
others,  but  still  no  one  satisfied  the  chief.  At  last  a  man 
said,  "I  will  start  and  I  will  go  to  the  end  of  the  world 
before  I  come  back." 

The  chief  looked  at  the  man  and  saw  that  he  was  very 
homely,  but  very  strong,  and  he  said,  "I  think  you  will 
do  as  you  promise.     You  may  go." 

The  chief  called  a  council  of  the  whole  nation  and  each 
man  agreed  to  make  a  journey  by  himself,  and  then  come 
home  and  describe  all  he  had  seen.  The  chief  and  his  men 
went  and  were  gone  forty  moons.  When  they  came  home 
a  council  was  held  and  each  told  what  he  had  seen. 

When  the  man  came  who  had  promised  to  go  to  the  end 
of  the  world,  he  said,  "I  have  been  to  the  end  of  the 
world,  I  have  seen  all  kinds  of  people,  all  kinds  of  game, 
all  kinds  of  forests  and  rivers.  I  have  seen  things  which 
no  one  else  has  ever  seen." 

The  chief  was  satisfied,  he  said,  "I  am  chief  of  all  the 
people,  you  will  be  next  to  me.    You'll  be  second  chief." 

This  was  the  pay  the  man  got  for  his  journey.  He  took 
his  position  as  second  chief. 

The  old  chief  was  Bald  Eagle.  The  first  man  sent  out 
was  Deer.  His  feet  were  tender,  he  could  not  endure  the 
ice  and  snow  of  the  White  Country.  The  homely  man  who 
went  to  the  end  of  the  world  was  Mud-turtle. 


THE  BOY  WHO  LEARNED  THE  SONGS 
OF  BIRDS 

TWO  brothers  lived  by  themselves  and  supposed  they 
were  the  only  persons  in  the  world.  The  younger 
was  a  little  fellow  but  he  did  the  thinking  for  both.  What- 
ever he  said  the  elder  brother  did.     One  day  he  said,— 

"Brother,  kill  a  turkey  for  me.  I  want  two  feathers.' ' 
The  young  man  killed  a  turkey  and  brought  it  home. 
When  he  gave  it  to  the  little  boy  he  asked,  "What  are  you 
going  to  do  with  the  feathers?" 

"I  want  them  for  a  head-dress,"  answered  the  boy,  and 
pulling  two  feathers  from  the  turkey  he  gave  them  to  his 
brother  and  asked  him  to  fix  them  in  a  socket  in  such  a 
way  that  they  would  turn  with  the  wind. 

When  this  was  done,  the  little  boy  fastened  the  socket 
to  a  band  and  wore  the  feathers  for  a  head-dress.  At 
night  he  hung  the  dead-dress  on  the  wall  over  his  couch 
but  as  soon  as  daylight  came  he  put  it  on  his  head.  One 
morning,  when  going  out,  he  said  to  his  brother,  "I  like 
my  feathers  and  I  am  going  to  have  a  dance  for  them." 

The  young  man  watched  till  the  boy  disappeared  behind 
a  fallen  tree.  Soon  he  heard  singing  and  then  he  heard 
dancing.  He  was  frightened  and  said  to  himself,  "Some- 
thing is  the  matter  with  my  brother." 

When  the  boy  came  back,  the  young  man  asked,  "What 
were  you  doing?  Were  you  dancing  behind  that  tree? 
Why  did  you  go  so  far?  Why  didn't  you  dance  right 
here  with  me,  not  go  off  alone." 

"You  don't  know  the  songs  I  sing." 

1 '  I  can  learn  them,  then  I  can  help  you. ' ' 

"If  you  want  to  help  me,  you  may  dance." 

"It  isn't  right  for  me  to  dance  when  I  don't  know  how 
to  sing,  and  haven't  feathers  in  my  hair." 

"I  will  change  places  with  you,"  said  the  little  boy. 
' '  You  may  hunt  small  game  and  I  will  hunt  deer.    I  have 

179 


180  SENECA    MYTHS 

hunted  birds,  for  from  them  I  learn  songs.  Your  game 
does  not  sing.  But  maybe  I  could  not  kill  big  game, 
I  am  so  small,  and  maybe  you  couldn't  kill  birds,  you  are 
so  large." 

"Well,"  said  the  elder  brother.  "You  may  sing  and 
dance  all  you  want  to,  I  will  hunt." 

The  young  man  continued  to  hunt  large  game.  Often, 
when  coming  toward  home,  he  heard  his  little  brother 
singing  and  dancing  but  as  soon  as  the  boy  saw  him  he 
began  to  do  something  else,  as  though  he  had  not  been 
singing  or  dancing.  This  frightened  the  young  man  and 
made  him  think  that  something  was  going  to  happen. 
Once  he  asked  his  brother, — 

"Why  have  you  stopped  hunting  for  birds?" 

"I  listen  to  their  songs,"  said  the  boy.  "That  is  why 
I  don't  shoot  them." 

One  day  he  said  to  his  brother,  "My  feathers  are  worn 
out.    I  want  you  to  kill  another  turkey." 

The  young  man  killed  the  largest  turkey  he  could  find 
and  brought  it  home. 

"Skin  the  turkey,"  said  the  boy,  "and  make  me  a 
pouch. ' ' 

When  the  pouch  was  finished,  the  young  man  gave  it 
to  his  brother,  and  asked,  "Do  you  like  it?" 

"Yes,"  said  the  boy.    "It  is  just  as  I  wanted  it  to  be." 

While  the  skin  was  drying,  the  boy  often  put  it  around 
his  body  and  went  off  into  the  woods.  When  he  came 
back  to  the  cabin  he  took  the  skin  off  and  hung  it  up. 

1  *  You  must  not  go  far  from  the  cabin, ' '  said  his  brother. 

"No,"  answered  the  boy.  "I  will  stay  near  home  and 
take  care  of  things." 

Once  he  said  to  his  brother,  "You  must  stay  at  home, 
not  go  hunting  to-day.  I  want  you  to  learn  to  sing  my 
songs.  What  I  do  now  will  be  for  the  people  who  are  to 
come.  I  will  make  a  rule  that  the  people  to  come  must 
wear  feathers  and  dance  and  sing." 

The  elder  brother  studied  over  this  and  wondered  how  a 
little  boy  could  have  such  thoughts. 

"Now,"  said  the  boy,  "I  am  going  to  sing  a  song.  You 
must  listen  and  learn  it." 

He  sang  a  song. 


THE    SONGS    OF    BIRDS  181 

"What  is  the  name  of  that  song?"  asked  the  elder 
brother. 

From  singing  the  songs  of  the  birds  the  boy  had  grown 
very  wise.    He  said, — 

4 'It  is  the  song  the  people  will  sing  when  they  wear 
feathers  on  their  heads  (War-song).  You  must  be  care- 
ful in  singing  it;  if  not,  you  will  fall  to  the  ground  sense- 
less. I  sing  what  I  have  heard  the  birds  sing.  I  give 
thanks  as  I  have  heard  them  do  when  I  was  hunting.  I 
dance  to  my  songs  because  I  hear  the  birds  sing  and 
see  them  dance.  We  must  do  as  they  do.  It  will  make  us 
feel  glad  and  happy." 

One  day  when  the  brothers,  were  out  looking  around, 
they  saw  a  large  bird  sitting  on  a  tree.  When  the  bird 
began  to  sing,  the  young  man  knew  that  his  brother  had 
learned  its  song  for  he  had  heard  him  sing  it.  "You  are 
very  wise,"  said  he  to  the  boy,  "I  think  the  Great  Spirit 
tells  the  birds  to  teach  us  songs,"  and  he  began  singing 
a  song  of  his  own,  different  from  those  his  brother  sang. 

"Do  you  think  I  could  dance  to  your  song?"  asked  the 
little  boy.    "I'll  try  if  you  will  sing  it  again." 

Instead  of  singing,  the  elder  brother  said,  "I  will  tell 
you  the  words  of  my  song,  they  are,  'I  am  glad  to  see  the 
day.     I  am  thankful  for  the  sunbeams.'  " 

"I  know  the  song,"  said  the  boy.  "It  is  different  from 
mine.  There  isn't  as  much  joy  in  it.  When  we  are  sad 
we  will  sing  your  song  and  gain  courage.  Now  you  must 
hunt  for  your  kind  of  game  and  I  will  hunt  for  mine." 

As  the  young  man  was  starting  off,  the  boy  jumped 
into  his  turkey  skin,  and  said,  "Brother,  I  will  go  with 
you." 

"Oh  no,"  said  his  brother,  "I  go  too  far.  You  would 
get  tired." 

The  boy  insisted  and  at  last  the  young  man  said,  "You 
may  go  part  of  the  way,  but  all  of  the  way  would  be  too 
far." 

When  they  had  gone  a  long  distance,  the  young  man 
said,  "This  is  far  enough  for  you  to  go.  You  must  go 
back  now." 

The  boy  went  home  hopping  and  running  exactly  like  a 
turkey. 


182  SENECA    MYTHS 

The  young  man  noticed  that  his  brother  was  wearing  his 
turkey  skin  all  the  time,  that  he  wore  it  nights.  He  didn't 
like  this  and  he  asked  him  to  take  it  off. 

"You  made  it  for  me/'  said  the  boy.  "I  like  to 
wear  it." 

The  young  man  was  fond  of  the  boy  so  he  didn't  say 
any  more.  Afterward,  when  he  mentioned  the  turkey 
skin,  he  always  received  the  same  answer:  "You  made  it 
for  me,  and  I  like  to  wear  it." 

The  boy  played  like  a  turkey  and  when  he  saw  wild 
turkeys  he  imitated  the  noise  they  made.  He  was  learn- 
ing the  habits  of  a  turkey.  The  young  man  worried  over 
this. 

The  boy  no  longer  wore  feathers  on  his  head,  and  his 
voice  began  to  change;  it  didn't  sound  like  his  voice.  At 
last  his  brother  told  him  to  take  the  skin  off. 

The  boy  said,  "I  can't  take  it  off.  You  will  have  to 
help  me." 

The  young  man  pulled  but  couldn't  get  the  skin  off.  It 
had  grown  to  the  boy's  body. 

Turkey  said,  "I  shall  stay  with  you  always,  but  you 
must  be  careful;  something  is  going  to  happen." 

He  was  very  wise  now ;  his  advice  was  better  than  ever ; 
it  was  beyond  the  comprehension  of  his  brother. 

Once,  when  the  young  man  came  home,  he  couldn't  find 
Turkey  but  the  next  morning  he  heard  him  on  the  roof  of 
the  cabin  making  the  noise  that  a  turkey  makes  at  day- 
break. He  felt  strangely,  felt  that  his  brother  had  become 
a  real  turkey.  Soon  he  heard  him  jump  down,  then  he 
came  into  the  cabin,  and  said,  "Brother,  a  woman  is 
coming.  I  think  she  is  coming  for  you.  You  must  be 
careful.  Something  is  going  to  happen  to  us.  If  you  go 
with  her,  I  shall  follow  you." 

When  the  woman  came  near  the  cabin  she  saw  a  turkey 
standing  in  front  of  it.  She  looked  at  the  bird  but  didn't 
say  anything.  Going  into  the  cabin  she  said  to  the  young 
man,  "I  have  come  for  you." 

"I  will  tell  my  brother  and  find  out  what  he  thinks 
about  it,"  answered  the  young  man.  The  woman  didn't 
know  the  turkey  she  saw  outside  was  the  young  man's 
brother. 


THE    SONGS   OF    BIRDS  183 

He  went  to  Turkey,  and  said,  "A  woman  has  come." 
"Didn't  I  tell  you  one  was  coming.    She  is  full  of  witch- 
craft and  she  will  try  to  destroy  us.     You  must  tell  her 
that  you  are  not  ready  to  go,  that  you  will  start  to-morrow. 
Something  bad  is  going  to  happen  to  us." 

The  young  man  said  to  the  woman,  "I  will  go  with  you 
as  soon  as  I  can  get  ready." 

Turkey  determined  to  stay  in  the  house  that  night.  He 
hopped  in  and  perched  on  a  roost  his  brother  made  for 
him.    The  woman  thought  the  boy  was  a  tame  turkey. 

The  next  morning  neither  of  the  brothers  could  eat. 
The  elder  said,  "I  must  go  with  this  woman." 

"It  is  wrong  to  go,"  said  Turkey,  "She  has  great 
power.     It  will  be  hard  to  outwit  her." 

When  the  woman  and  the  young  man  started,  Turkey 
followed  them  till  he  saw  them  turn  and  go  toward  the 
West,  then  he  went  back  to  the  cabin.    He  was  very  lonely. 
The  next  morning  he  said  to  himself :  ' '  Poor  brother,  that 
woman  has  taken  him  away  from  me.     She  is  going  to 
kill  him.    I  must  go  and  see  what  is  happening  to  him." 
He  traveled  toward  the  West  till  he  came  to  an  opening 
in  the  woods.     In  the  opening  was  a  cabin. 
"That  must  be  the  place,"  thought  the  boy. 
An  old  woman  who  was  in  the  cabin  said  to  her  daughter, 
"There  is  a  turkey  outside.     It  is  tame.     Maybe  it  has 
come  to  stay  with  us." 

Eight  away  the  young  man  knew  that  his  little  brother 
had  come.  The  women  took  a  fancy  to  the  turkey.  They 
didn't  think  of  trying  to  kill  it.  Toward  night  one  of  the 
women  wanted  to  shut  it  up  so  it  couldn't  go  away  but 
the  boy  ran  out  and  perched  on  the  roof  so  as  to  see  and 
hear  everything. 

The  next  morning,  when  the  young  man  came  out  of 
the  cabin,  his  brother  followed  him,  and  asked :  * '  Brother, 
how  can  you  stay  here  and  be  abused  by  the  old  woman 
and  her  daughter?  They  don't  give  you  anything  to  eat. 
They  are  going  to  kill  you.  I  have  come  to  tell  you  this 
and  to  tell  you  that  I  am  going  to  save  you." 

Turkey  started  toward  the  Bast.    As  his  brother  watched 
him,  he  said,  "I  am  glad  he  can  go  where  he  wants  to." 
Turkey  was  angry  at  the  women.     When  he   reached 


184  SENECA    MYTHS 

home,  he  thought,  "I  must  get  out  of  this  skin,  get  my 
own  form.  I've  been  a  turkey  long  enough,"  and  he  pulled 
and  worked  till  at  last  he  freed  himself.  He  hung  the 
skin  up  and  put  the  feather  band  around  his  head,  then  he 
began  to  study  over  how  he  could  free  his  brother.  After 
a  while  he  said,  "This  is  what  I  will  do,"  and  going  out 
he  called  to  his  medicine,  Moose.  1  s  soon  as  he  called 
Moose  was  there. 

The  boy  said  to  it,  "Go  to  the  West,  to  where  the  old 
woman  and  her  daughter  live,  when  my  brother  comes  out 
of  the  cabin,  seize  him  and  throw  him  onto  your  back, 
then  run  with  all  your  strength.  Take  off  your  feathers 
(horns)  and  I  will  put  mine  onto  your  head;  yours  are 
too  heavy  to  run  with." 

The  Moose  held  its  head  down ;  the  boy  took  off  its  horns 
and  put  his  feather  band  in  their  place,  saying,  "When 
you  come  back,  I  will  give  you  your  feathers." 

Moose  ran  off  in  the  direction  of  the  old  woman's  cabin 
and  the  boy  said  to  himself,  "He  will  soon  come  back." 
In  a  short  time  he  heard  a  noise  and  going  outside  saw 
his  brother  clinging  to  Moose's  back;  he  was  so  weak  that 
he  couldn  't  get  off  alone. 

"I  told  you  that  something  bad  would  happen,"  said  the 
boy,  "Now  you  have  your  punishment."  To  Moose  he 
said,  "Stand  here  a  while."  He  helped  his  brother  into 
the  cabin  and  when  he  came  back  he  changed  feathers 
with  Moose  and  sent  him  away. 

"I  am  glad  to  have  you  back,"  said  the  boy  to  his 
brother.  "We  are  free  now  from  the  old  woman  and  her 
daughter  and  can  live  together  in  peace." 

They  lived  together  ever  after  and  continued  to  learn 
the  songs  of  birds. 

From  birds  came  all  the  Indian  songs  and  dances. 


THE  COMING  OF  SPRING 

OR 

THE  WADYOnYOnDYES  GIRLS 


Characters 


Oneqsas Mushroom-eater  (A  Bird) 

WADYOnYOnDYES One  of  the  Wild  Duck  family 

Sganodhses  gowa One  of  the  Thunder  family 

DwAAUnHDANE  GEn Two  Feathers  (A  Rabbit) 

Dotgehondagwe.  . Half  Red-headed  (A  Woodpecker) 


AN  uncle  and  his  two  nephews  lived  in  a  cabin  in  the 
woods.  Each  day  the  uncle  went  to  hunt  and  to  dig 
wild  potatoes. 

The  younger  of  the  two  nephews  did  not  know  that  he 
had  a  brother.  The  uncle  kept  his  elder  nephew  hidden 
in  an  old  couch  for  fear  that  the  daughters  of  Sganodhses 
gowa  would  come  and  carry  him  away.  Though  the  uncle 
brought  home  a  plenty  of  good  potatoes,  he  gave  his 
younger  nephew  poor  ones. 

As  the  boy  grew  older,  he  began  to  wonder  why  he  and 
his  uncle  were  always  alone.  One  day,  when  he  asked  if 
there  were  people  living  near  them,  the  old  man  said, 
"Far  off  in  the  West  there  are  bad  people.  They  have 
carried  away  our  people,  one  after  another,  till  we  are  the 
only  ones  left." 

The  boy  wondered  why  his  uncle  gave  him  poor  potatoes. 
He  saw  him  put  a  plenty  of  large  potatoes  in  the  kettle 
in  the  evening,  but  in  the  morning  only  small  ones  were 

185 


186  SENECA    MYTHS 

left.  One  night  he  made  up  his  mind  to  keep  awake  and 
find  out  what  became  of  the  large  potatoes.  He  tore  a 
hole  in  the  deer  skin  he  slept  under  and  watched  his  uncle. 

Toward  the  middle  of  the  night  the  uncle  got  up,  stirred 
the  fire,  and  going  to  an  old  couch  in  the  corner,  called 
out,  "Nephew!  Nephew!  It  is  time  to  get  up."  When 
there  was  no  answer,  he  struck  the  couch  with  a  switch 
and  called,  "Nephew!  Nephew!  Are  you  ready  to  eat?" 
Then  the  top  of  the  couch  came  up  and  a  young  man 
appeared. 

The  two  men  sat  down  by  the  fire.  The  potatoes, 
covered  with  moss,  were  simmering.  The  uncle  uncovered 
them,  picked  out  the  largest  and  best  and  gave  them  to 
the  young  man.  After  the  two  had  eaten  heartily,  the 
old  man  took  a  turtle  rattle-  and  kept  time  while  the 
young  man  danced. 

The  little  boy  thought,  ' '  That  must  be  my  brother.  Now 
I'll  have  fun." 

When  the  young  man  hid  himself  in  the  couch,  the  uncle 
covered  up  the  fire  and  lay  down  in  his  own  place. 

The  next  morning,  as  soon  as  his  uncle  had  gone  out  to 
dig  potatoes,  the  little  boy  began  cooking.  When  all  was 
ready  he  went  to  the  couch,  raised  the  cover,  and  said, 
"Come  out,  Brother,  come  out,  we'll  eat  and  then  dance." 

"No,"  said  the  young  man,  "I  cannot  come  out  in  the 
daytime.  If  I  did  those  WADYOnYOnDYES  girls  who  live  off 
in  the  West,  would  hear  me." 

"Never  mind,"  said  the  little  boy,  "They'll  not  hear 
you." 

"Yes  they  will,  and  they  will  come  and  carry  me  off. 
They  don't  know  that  I  am  here,  but  if  I  make  a  noise  in 
the  daytime,  they  will  hear  it  and  come  for  me." 

No  matter  what  the  young  man  said  the  boy  teased  and 
begged  till  he  came  out  of  the  couch.  They  ate  and  then 
began  to  dance.  Suddenly  they  heard  a  noise  like  thunder, 
a  noise  that  made  the  earth  shake. 

"What's  that?"  asked  the  little  boy. 

"That's  Sganodhses  gowa  getting  her  daughters  ready 
to  come  for  me, ' '  said  his  brother.  ' '  She  is  getting  ready  to 
push  the  canoe  from  the  top  of  the  house." 

The  young  man  crept  into  the  couch  and  covered  him- 


THE    COMING    OF    SPRING  187 

self.  The  little  boy  kept  shaking  the  turtle  skin  rattle  and 
dancing. 

Soon  two  women  appeared  sailing  in  a  canoe  through 
the  air.  They  were  singing  and  their  song  said,  "We 
are  coming  for  Two  Feathers,  we  are  coming  for  Two 
Feathers. ' ' 

They  looked  in  at  the  smoke-hole  and  asked,  "Where 
is  your  brother?" 

"I  have  no  brother,"  said  the  little  boy,  "I've  only  an 
uncle.    He  is  old.    He  is  off  digging  potatoes." 

"There  is  a  young  man  in  the  house." 

"No,  I'm  all  alone." 

"You  are  not  telling  the  truth.  You'll  suffer  if  you 
lie  to  us  the  next  time  we  come. ' ' 

In  the  evening  when  the  uncle  came,  he  asked,  "What 
have  you  been  doing  to-day?    Did  you  find  your  brother?" 

"Have  I  a  brother?"  asked  the  boy. 

"Wasn't  there  someone  here  to-day?" 

"No." 

"What  did  those  women  come  for?     I  heard  them." 

"There  wasn't  anyone  here  to-day." 

The  uncle  said  no  more,  but  the  next  morning,  when 
starting  off  he  said,  "Go  out  of  doors  and  play.  I  don't 
want  you  to  stay  in  the  house." 

The  old  man  was  scarcely  out  of  sight  when  the  boy  ran 
to  the  couch  and  began  to  beg  his  brother  to  come  out. 
At  last  the  young  man  came  and  the  two  amused  them- 
selves till  the  elder  brother  heard  the  women  coming. 

"Now,"  said  he,  "I  shall  have  to  go,"  but  he  hid  in 
the  couch. 

Soon  a  canoe  grazed  the  top  of  the  house  and  two  women 
came  in  and  one  asked,  "Where  is  your  brother?" 

"I  have  no  brother,  I've  only  an  old  uncle,"  said  the 
boy,  "I  dance  to  keep  from  being  lonesome." 

The  women  looked  around  and  seeing  beautiful  red  hair 
hanging  out  of  the  couch,  they  raised  the  cover  and  there 
was  the  young  man.  The  three  got  into  the  canoe  and 
it  rose  in  the  air  and  sailed  away  toward  the  West. 

When  the  uncle  heard  the  singing  he  ran  home  as  fast 
as  he  could  for  he  knew  what  had  happened.  He  went 
into  the  house,  sat  down,  and  cried  bitterly. 


188  SENECA    MYTHS 

" Don't  cry,  Uncle,"  said  the  little  boy.  (i Don't  cry, 
I'll  bring  my  brother  back." 

He  ran  out,  gathered  a  bundle  of  red  willows,  came  home, 
scraped  off  the  bark  and  threw  it  on  the  fire.  Thick  smoke 
rose  up  and  shot  off  toward  the  West;  the  boy  sprang 
into  the  smoke  and  was  borne  away.  He  overtook  the 
canoe  and  the  young  man  knew  that  his  little  brother 
was  following  to  rescue  him. 

One  of  the  sisters  were  sitting  in  the  prow  of  the  canoe, 
paddling,  the  other  in  the  stern,  steering.  "When  Two 
Feathers  turned  to  look  at  his  brother,  the  woman  in  the 
prow  struck  him  a  blow  on  the  side  of  his  head,  with  her 
paddle,  and  cried,  "Sit  still!     Don't  look  around!" 

As  she  struck,  the  little  boy  sprang  into  the  canoe  and 
screamed,  "Don't  you  strike  my  brother!" 

Then  he  said,  "Let  this  canoe  turn  around  and  take  my 
brother  home!" 

Instantly  the  canoe  turned,  and,  in  spite  of  all  the 
women  could  do,  it  sailed  back  faster  than  it  had  come. 
As  it  was  nearing  the  uncle's  house,  the  women  began  to 
beg  the  boy  to  let  his  brother  go  with  them. 

They  said,  "We  will  give  you  whatever  you  want,  only 
let  him  go." 

In  his  mind  the  boy  asked,  "What  can  I  take  and  let 
my  brother  go?"  Then  he  said,  "If  each  one  of  you  will 
give  me  a  piece  of  flesh  large  enough  to  make  a  moccasin, 
I'll  let  my  brother  go  with  you." 

They  consented.  He  took  his  flint  knife  and  cut  out 
of  each  woman  the  piece  he  wanted.  He  put  the  pieces  on 
his  feet  and  they  fitted  nicely,  immediately  he  was  at 
home  and  the  canoe  sailed  off  toward  the  West.  When  his 
uncle  asked  where  his  brother  was,  he  said,  "I  brought 
him  almost  home,  but  I  let  him  go  when  the  women  gave 
me  these  beautiful  moccasins,  with  these  moccasins  on  I  can 
do  anything  I  want  to,  I  can  kill  those  women. '  * 

After  a  few  days,  Oneqsas,  for  that  was  the  boy's  name, 
had  such  power  from  his  moccasins  that  he  knew  the 
women  were  tormenting  his  brother.  He  told  his  uncle, 
and  said,  "I  am  going  after  Two  Feathers." 

He  gathered  a  bundle  of  willows,  scraped  off  the  bark, 
threw  it  on  the  fire  and  when  a  thick  smoke  rose  up  he 


THE    COMING    OF    SPRING  189 

sprang  into  it  and  shot  off  toward  the  West.  He  came 
down  at  the  edge  of  a  clearing  in  a  great  forest.  Near  the 
opposite  end  of  the  clearing  was  a  long  house1  and  not 
far  away,  at  the  edge  of  the  woods,  was  a  hut  where  a 
grandmother  lived  with  her  three  grandchildren,  a  boy 
and  two  girls. 

"Ill  go  to  that  hut,"  thought  Oneqsas.  In  the  hut  he 
found  a  boy  of  his  own  age  and  size,  just  like  him;  half 
of  the  boy's  hair  was  black  and  half  was  red;  the  hair 
on  the  crown  of  his  head  was  black,  that  on  the  sides  was 
red,  his  name  was  Dotgehondagwe  (Half  Red-headed). 

"Who  are  you?"  asked  Oneqsas,  "You  must  be  my 
brother. ' ' 

The  two  looked  at  each  other,  and  seeing  that  they  were 
of  the  same  size  and  that  one  looked  exactly  like  the  other, 
each  called  the  other,  "Brother." 

"You  must  stay  with  us,"  said  the  strange  boy.  "I 
have  two  sisters  and  a  grandmother." 

When  old  GaqshInyc  came  home,  her  grandson  said, 
1 '  I  have  a  brother  here,  he  is  going  to  live  with  us. ' ' 

"How  can  he  live  with  us?"  asked  the  grandmother. 
"We  are  poor." 

"He  is  poor  too;  he  will  be  satisfied  with  what  we  can 
give  him." 

At  last  the  old  woman  said,  "Let  him  stay."  Then  the 
grandson  asked,  "What  are  they  doing  at  the  long  house?" 

"The  chief's  daughters  have  brought  a  man  from  the 
East,  from  the  Wampum  people.  Each  night  they  hang 
him  up  and  make  him  cry,  for  his  tears  are  wampum 
beads." 

"Can  we  go  to  the  long  house?"  asked  the  boy. 

"We  can  go,  and  maybe  we'll  get  a  chance  to  pick  up 
some  of  the  wampum." 

When  night  came,  the  old  woman  and  her  grandson 
and  Oneqsas  went  to  the  long  house.  Oneqsas  said  to  his 
friend,  "We  will  gather  some  dry  rushes  and  if  the  chief 
will  let  us  go  inside  the  long  house,  we  will  light  pipes  for 
the  people." 

When  they  had  gathered  the  rushes  the  old  woman 
asked  the  chief  if  she  might  go  in  and  have  a  chance  to 

i  The  Indian  council  house. 


190  SENFXA    MYTHS 

pick  up  wampum,  and  if  her  grandsons  might  carry  lighted 
rushes  to  the  men  who  wanted  to  smoke. 

The  chief  said,  ''Let  the  old  woman  in,  she  is  a  good 
woman.    Let  her  have  a  chance,  and  let  the  boys  in,  too." 

Two  Feathers  was  hanging  from  a  post  driven  into  the 
ground  near  the  fire.  When  he  saw  his  brother  he  smiled. 
Everyone  who  saw  him  smile  asked  in  their  mind,  "How 
can  that  poor  man  smile ?" 

When  the  house  was  full  of  people,  the  chief  told  his 
daughters  to  take  fire-brands  and  hold  them  to  the  young 
man's  body.  They  burned  him  on  one  side  and  then  on 
the  other.  He  cried  bitterly  and  as  the  tears  fell  they 
changed  into  beautiful  wampum,  falling  in  a  shower.  The 
people  scrambled  for  the  beads.  The  old  grandmother  got 
a  few.  After  a  while  they  stopped  the  burning.  The 
people  rested  and  smoked  till  the  chief  said,  "Burn  him 
again ! ' '  Then  Oneqsas  took  off  one  of  his  moccasins  and 
told  his  friend  to  put  it  on  and  to  stick  his  foot  in  the 
fire  as  soon  as  the  sisters  began  to  burn  the  young  man. 

The  instant  the  moccasin  touched  the  fire,  one  of  the 
sisters  screamed  with  pain  and  she  didn't  stop  screaming 
till  the  boy  took  his  foot  away  from  the  fire.  The  people 
asked  what  the  matter  was,  but  the  girl  wouldn't  tell. 

The  other  sister  was  about  to  burn  Two  Feathers  when 
Oneqsas  put  his  foot  in  the  fire:  she  dropped  the  brand 
and  screamed  as  if  in  terrible  pain. 

The  grandmother  and  two  boys  went  outside,  then 
Oneqsas  said,  "Let  all  who  are  in  the  house  fall  asleep 
and  sleep  soundly." 

As  soon  as  the  people  were  asleep,  Oneqsas  freed  his 
brother,  carried  him  outside,  and  then  he  fastened  the 
door,  and  walking  around  the  house  he  repeated,  "Let 
this  house  turn  to  stone  and  let  the  stone  be  red  hot !  Let 
this  house  turn  to  stone  and  let  the  stone  be  red  hot!" 

Right  away  the  house  was  stone  and  the  stone  was  red 
hot.    All  the  people  inside  were  burned  up. 

Then  Oneqsas  said  to  the  old  woman,  "Grandmother, 
you  must  come  home  with  me.  You  will  be  a  good  wife 
for  my  uncle." 

When  the  two  brothers  and  the  grandmother  and  her 
grandson  reached  the  old  man's  house,  they  found   him 


THE    COMING    OF   SPRING  191 

mourning  for  his  nephews.  He  had  been  tormented  by 
foxes  that  came  to  the  door,  knocked  and  called  out,  "We 
ar©  here,  Uncle ! ' '  Soon  after  the  nephews  went  into  the 
house  a  fox  came  and  called  out,  "  I  've  come,  Uncle ! ' ' 

"Let  him  in,"  said  Oneqsas. 

The  fox  ran  to  the  fire  to  get  ashes  to  throw  into  the 
old  man's  face.  Oneqsas  caught  him,  and  said,  "Now  I'll 
punish  you ! "  He  tied  the  animal 's  forelegs  together  with 
a  bark  rope  and  hung  him  up  in  the  smoke-hole.  Tears 
rolled  out  of  his  eyes  and  made  dark  streaks  along  his 
cheeks;  his  face  and  nose  were  black  with  soot;  his  hair 
that  had  been  white  became  tawny  from  smoke.  When 
he  was  almost  dead,  Oneqsas  took  him  down,  threw  him 
outdoors,  and  said,  '  •  Be  off,  and  never  come  here  again ! ' ' 

Since  that  time  foxes  have  black  noses  and  their  fur  is 
a  tawny  yellow. 


THE  CEEATION  OF  MEN  (INDIANS) 

[Told  by  "Esq"  Johnson] 

"Esq"  Johnson's  account  of  the  origin  of  Good  and 
Evil  as  it  was  told  him  by  old  men. 


Shagodyoweg  is  often  translated  False  Face,  but 
the  literal  meaning  is  "The  Great  One  Who 
Protects  Them  (Mankind)"  from  sickness  and 
pestilence,  and  is  considered  to  be  of  the  Wind 
People. 


ABOVE,  in  the  center  of  the  Blue,  people  lived  before 
there  was  any  earth  down  here.  In  the  middle  of 
the  village  up  there  stood  a  tree  covered  with  white 
blossoms;  when  the  tree  was  in  bloom,  its  blossoms  gave 
light  to  the  people  and  when  the  blossoms  fell,  there  was 
darkness. 

One  time  a  woman  in  that  village  dreamed  and  in  her 
dream  an  ongwe1  said  to  her,  "That  tree  with  white  blos- 
soms on  it  must  be  pulled  up  by  the  roots.' ' 

When  the  woman  told  her  dream,  the  people  were  silent. 
Some  time  passed  and  the  woman  dreamed  again. 

The  ongwe  in  her  dream,  said,  "A  circle  must  be  dug 
around  the  tree  and  the  tree  pulled  up  by  the  roots,  then 
something  giving  more  and  better  light  will  come." 

The  woman  told  her  dream  a  second  time,  but  still  the 

people  took  no  heed  of  it.    She  dreamed  a  third  time  and 

again  was  told  that  the  tree  must  be  pulled  up.     Then  a 

man  said,  \ '  I  think  we  should  give  heed  to  this  dream ;  we 

i  Man   (Indian). 

192 


THE    CREATION    OF    MEN  193 

may  have  better  light  and  the  people  will  have  cause  to 
rejoice."  His  advice  was  listened  to,  men  cut  around  the 
roots  of  the  tree;  when  the  roots  were  loosened  the  tree 
sank  down,  and  disappeared. 

The  chief  of  the  people  said,  * '  I  did  not  heed  this  dream 
for  I  knew  something  would  happen  to  the  people  if  the 
tree  were  pulled  up."  He  was  angry  and  ordered  that 
the  woman,  who  had  the  dream,  should  be  brought  and 
pushed  into  the  hole  left  by  the  tree.  Men  caught  her  and 
threw  her  into  the  hole.  Now  that  the  tree  with  white 
blossoms  was  gone  it  was  dark  all  the  time.  . 

The  woman  fell  and  fell.  The  hole  was  deep  and  long, 
but  at  last  she  came  out  into  bright  light,  into  our  sky, 
and  looking  down  she  saw  only  water. 

It  is  well  known  that  in  very  ancient  days  all  animals 
had  the  gift  of  speech  by  which  they  communicated  with 
one  another  as  freely  as  human  beings  do  at  the  present 
time. 

Down  under  the  Blue  there  was  just  one  enormous  body 
of  water  on  which  there  were  multitudes  of  various  kinds 
of  water  fowl  and  aquatic  animals  amusing  themselves 
after  their  own  fashion.  One  of  the  duck  family  looked 
up  and  saw  a  dark  object  coming  down  from  the  sky. 

The  duck  cried  out  to  the  other  birds  and  animals, 
"Some  strange  being  is  coming  down  to  us." 

A  council  was  called  at  once  to  decide  how  they  could 
prepare  a  resting  place  for  this  being,  who  might  not  be 
fitted  to  live  on  the  water  as  they  did.  A  duck  said,  "111 
dive  and  find  if  there  is  any  bottom  to  this  water."  After 
a  time,  the  duck  came  to  the  surface,  shot  into  the  air  and 
fell  back,  lifeless.  Several  water  birds  made  the  same 
attempt  with  a  similar  result. 

All  the  people  that  lived  in  the  water  were  there. 

Loon  said  to  fish-hawk,  "Go  and  meet  that  creature  in 
the  air  and  hold  it  till  we  are  ready  for  you  to  come  down. ' ' 

Fish-hawk  went  and  they  saw  him  meet  the  woman,  for 
it  was  a  woman. 

Turtle  said,  "I'll  take  care  of  her." 

Loon  said,  "You  can't,  you  are  too  fond  of  eating." 

Horned  snake  said,  "I'll  take  care  of  her.  She  can  sit 
between  my  horns.    I'll  carry  her  wherever  I  go." 


194  SENECA    MYTHS 

Loon  said,  "You  can't  care  for  her.  You  are  poisonous, 
you  would  kill  her." 

Meanwhile  one  person  after  another  was  trying  to  bring 
earth  from  the  bottom  of  the  sea.  At  last  Hell-diver 
brought  up  a  little.  Loon  was  chief  and  when  Hell-diver 
came  up,  he  sent  all  that  kind  of  people  after  more  dirt. 
Loon  said,  "Put  the  dirt  on  Turtle's  back."  Turtle  was 
willing,  »and  as  fast  as  the  divers  brought  dirt,  Beaver, 
with  his  tail,  pounded  it  down  on  Turtle's  back,  to  make 
it  solid.  When  Loon  thought  there  was  enough  dirt,  Fish- 
hawk  came  down  with  the  woman. 

The  beaver  and  duck  people  kept  at  work  making  the 
earth  larger  and  larger.  As  it  grew,  more  Beavers  and 
Ducks  were  ordered  to  work.  Bushes  began  to  grow,  little 
red  bushes,  like  water  reeds. 

Soon  the  woman  gave  birth  to  a  child,  a  girl.  The  child 
quickly  grew  to  be  a  young  woman  and  to  be  very  active. 
She  walked  hese  and  there  and  watched  the  birds  and 
animals  and  once  when  she  was  wandering  around  she 
met  a  nice  looking  young  man.  They  fell  in  love  with 
each  other  and  by  their  union  came  night  and  day.  At 
daybreak  the  young  woman  went  to  meet  her  husband,  at 
twilight  she  came  home  and  the  man  went  away. 

One  evening,  after  they  had  parted,  the  young  woman 
turned  to  look  at  her  husband,  and  saw  a  big  Turtle  walk- 
ing along  where  the  man  had  just  been.  She  thought,  ' '  A 
Turtle  has  deceived  me!" 

She  told  her  mother  about  the  man,  and  said,  "I  am 
going  to  die,  you  must  put  my  body  in  the  ground  and 
cover  it  up  well.  Two  stalks  will  grow  from  my  breasts 
and  on  each  stalk  an  ear  will  come.  When  the  ears  are 
ripe  you  must  pick  them  and  give  one  to  each  of  the 
boys  that  are  born  to  me. ' ' 

The  younger  woman  gave  birth  to  twin  boys,  and  died. 
The  mother  buried  her  daughter  and  soon  two  stalks  came 
up  out  of  her  grave.    And  this  was  the  origin  of  corn. 

The  boys  grew  quickly;  they  were  strong  and  healthy, 
but  the  younger  was  an  awkward,  ugly  looking,  disagree- 
able fellow,  with  a  head  like  a  lump  of  rough  flint. 

Once  when  the  elder  brother  was  off  by  himself,  he  was 
lonesome  and  he  thought  he  would  try  to  make  something, 


THE    CREATION    OF    MEN  195 

so  he  took  mud  and  when  he  had  molded  it  into  the  shape 
he  wanted,  he  put  it  down,  and  asked,  "Can't  you  jump?" 

It  didn't  move,  then  he  blew  on  it  till  at  last  it  jumped. 
And  he  had  created  the  grasshopper.  Then  he  thought  he 
would  make  something  that  would  fly  higher,  so  of  red 
clay  he  made  the  cherry  bird.  After  he  had  the  clay 
molded,  he  set  it  up  and  told  it  to  fly  in  the  air.  The 
bird  flew  and  lighted  on  a  bough — this  was  the  first  bird. 
One  after  another  he  made  all  of  the  birds  of  the  air. 

Then  he  thought  he  would  make  something  that  would 
run  on  the  ground,  so  he  shaped  a  deer,  brought  it  to 
life,  and  said  to  it,  "You  must  run  fast  and  go  everywhere 
in  the  world."  He  blew  on  it,  and  pushed  it,  and  it  ran 
off.  In  the  same  way  he  made  different  kinds  of  animals. 
Then  he  thought,  "Maybe  I  can  make  something  like  my- 
self." Out  of  the  mud  he  made  something  that  looked 
like  himself,  but  now,  in  some  way,  he  found  that  he  had 
a  spirit  in  his  body  and  he  wanted  the  thing  he  had  lying 
on  the  ground  to  have  a  spirit  too.  He  wanted  to  give 
it  some'of  his  own  but  didn't  know  how.  At  last  he  bent 
down  and  blew  into  its  mouth.  He  hadn't  blown  into  the 
mouth  of  any  other  creature  he  had  made.  The  image 
began  to  move ;  the  young  man  raised  it  up,  made  it  stand 
on  its  feet,  and  told  it  to  whoop. 

The  new  man  whooped;  he  had  a  fine  voice.  Then  he 
walked  off  a  little  way  and  turned  and  looked  at  the  young 
man. 

The  elder  brother  had  a  special  place  to  sit  when  he 
made  all  these  creatures.  About  the  time  he  made  man, 
the  younger  brother  found  the  place  and,  while  watching 
his  brother,  he  thought,  "I  will  make  a  man  too."  He 
went  away  alone,  made  something  as  nearly  like  himself 
as  he  could  and  brought  it  to  life.  It  didn't  look  like  a 
man.  It  was  a  strange  creature,  and  when  its  maker  saw 
that  it  wasn't  a  man,  but  some  ugly,  deformed  thing,  he 
said  to  it,  "My  brother  has  made  a  man,  he  is  over  there, 
go  and  kill  him." 

The  elder  brother  was  watching  the  younger,  for  he 
was  afraid  he  would  make  some  harmful  animal.  When 
he  heard  him  tell  the  creature  he  had  made  to  go  and 
destroy  man,  he  went  back  to  his  own  place,  caught  cherry 


196  SENECA    MYTHS 

bird  and  pulling  out  the  hind  leg  of  grasshopper,  gave  it 
to  the  bird,  and  said,  "Go  and  scare  my  brother."  As 
the  bird  took  up  the  leg  the  bird  became  very  large  and 
the  leg  was  like  the  leg  of  a  man,  and  it  was  bloody.  The 
bird  flew  near,  perched  on  a  limb  and  called  out,  ilGowa! 
gowa!"  When  the  younger  brother  saw  what  the  bird 
had  in  its  beak,  he  left  his  work,  ran  home  and  said  to 
his  grandmother,  "A  bird  came  and  perched  just  where 
I  was  at  work.  My  brother  made  it  frighten  me.  I  was 
afraid  it  would  pull  my  leg  out,  so  I  ran. ' ' 

When  the  elder  brother  came  the  grandmother  said, 
"You  shouldn't  frighten  your  brother." 

The  first  man  made  was  wandering  about  alone.  The 
young  man  saw  him  once  in  a  while  and  saw  that  he  was 
lonesome.  Then  he  said  to  himself,  "I  will  make  some- 
thing like  my  grandmother."  He  made  it  out  of  mud, 
breathed  into  it  and  told  it  to  walk;  then  he  found  the 
man,  and  said,  "I  give  you  this  one,  you  must  always  go 
together. ' ' 

When  the  woman  sat  down  by  the  man  he  thought  that 
her  arm  was  in  the  way  and  his  was  also.  He  said,  "We 
will  cut  them  off."  They  cut  them  off  and  laid  them  one 
side.  When  the  elder  brother  came  along  and  saw  what 
they  had  done  he  said  to  himself,  "This  won't  do.  I  will 
give  them  blood  and  pain,"  and  from  himself  he  gave 
them  blood  and  pain,  then  he  put  their  arms  on  and  healed 
them  (before  that  they  had  neither  blood  nor  pain). 

To  the  man  and  woman,  he  said,  ' '  I  have  made  you,  you 
will  have  children  like  yourselves.  You  must  hunt  the 
animals  I  have  made,  kill  them  and  eat  their  flesh;  that 
will  be  your  food.  I  am  going  above  the  Blue.  You  will 
not  live  forever.  You  will  die  and  your  spirit  will  go 
above  the  Blue. ' ' 

When  the  younger  brother  found  that  the  elder  brother 
had  gone  away,  he  saw  the  man  and  woman  and  talked  with 
them.  He  said  "I  am  going  to  make  a  man."  He  got 
earth  and  formed  it  as  best  he  could,  blew  into  its  mouth 
and  told  it  to  stand  up  and  whoop.  It  said,  "Ho,  ho!" 
tie  pushed  it  from  behind  and  made  it  leap.  It  was  a 
frog,  as  large  as  a  man. 

The  younger  brother  was  angry,  and  he  said,  "I  can't 


THE    CREATION    OF    MEN  197 

make  a  man.  My  brother  has  made  a  man  and  a  woman 
and  other  animals.  What  I  have  made  shall  turn  to  man- 
eaters  and  animal-eaters  and  eat  up  what  my  brother  has 
made." 

When  the  elder  brother  looked  down  from  the  Blue  and 
saw  that  the  animals  his  brother  had  made  were  trying  to 
eat  up  the  people  and  animals  he  had  made,  he  came  down, 
put  the  man-eaters  in  the  ground,  and  told  them  to  stay 
there  as  long  as  the  earth  remained.  This  work  done,  he 
went  back  above  the  Blue. 

When  the  younger  brother  found  that  his  animals  were 
in  the  ground  he  was  angry,  and  said,  "I  will  try  again 
to  make  a  man."  He  got  mud  and  began.  Every  little 
while,  he  went  and  looked  at  the  man  his  brother  had  made. 
When  his  man  was  finished  and  brought  to  life,  he  was 
an  ugly-looking  creature.  His  maker  told  him  to  whoop. 
He  could  only  say,  "Ho!  ho!"  And  this  was  Shagodyo- 
weg  gowa.  His  maker  said,  "Go  and  eat  all  the  creatures 
my  brother  has  made." 

When  the  elder  brother  saw  what  was  taking  place,  he 
came  from  the  Blue  to  put  Shagodyoweg  into  the  ground, 
but  that  one  spoke  first  and  said,  "Do  not  destroy  me.  I 
want  to  live  on  the  earth.  I  will  be  your  servant  and  help 
you.  I  will  go  around  in  the  woods,  the  ashes  of  fire  will 
be  my  medicine  for  men.  If  anyone  is  sick  I  will  take 
ashes  and  scatter  over  them  and  they  will  be  well." 

The  elder  brother  couldn't  put  Shagodyoweg  into  the 
ground  for  he  had  spoken  first,  so  he  let  him  stay  on  earth. 

The  younger  brother  said  to  his  grandmother,  "I  have 
tried  to  make  a  man,  but  I  cannot.  Now  I  will  cause  the 
people  my  brother  has  made  to  do  all  manner  of  evil." 

The  elder  brother  went  back  to  the  Blue. 


THE  BUFFALO  WOMEN 
[Told  by  Titus] 


Characters 


Dzogeon Little  people  (Fairies) 

Nyagwaihe .The  Ancient  of  Bears 

Shagodyoweg  gowa False  Face  (Wind  People) 

Digia'go11  gowa Buffalo 


A  BOY  and  his  mother  lived  near  the  Allegheny  River, 
at  a  place  called  Carydon.  One  foggy  morning,  just 
at  daylight,  the  boy  went  to  the  river.  He  heard  rowing 
and  soon  saw  two  little  people  (Dzogeon)  coming  in  a 
stone  canoe.  They  came  to  near  where  he  was  standing 
and  landed. 

One  of  them  said  to  him,  "We  have  come  on  purpose 
to  talk  with  you  for  you  are  up  early  mornings.  We  are 
on  a  buffalo  hunt.  There  are  three  buffaloes,  two  old  ones 
and  a  young  one  that  run  under  the  ground.  If  they 
stop  in  this  part  of  the  country  they  will  destroy  all  the 
people,  for  they  are  full  of  witchcraft  and  poison.  A 
great  many  years  ago  your  grandfather  chased  these  buf- 
faloes, but  he  could  not  overtake  them.  Two  days  from 
now  come  to  this  place  early  in  the  morning  and  we  will 
tell  you  about  our  hunt." 

When  the  time  came,  the  boy  went  to  the  river  and  soon 
the  two  little  men  came  to  him,  and  said,  ' '  We  have  killed 
the  two  old  buffaloes ;  the  young  one  escaped,  ran  off  toward 
the  West.  We  let  him  go,  for  only  a  common  man  can 
kill  him.    Now  we  are  going  home." 

198 


THE    BUFFALO    WOMEN  199 

The  little  men  got  into  their  stone  canoe,  rowed  away, 
and  were  never  seen  again. 

Some  time  after  this  the  Senecas  collected  a  war  party 
to  go  against  the  Cherokees.  One  of  the  party  was  the 
best  runner  of  the  Senecas. 

Before  the  party  reached  the  Cherokee  country,  they 
met  the  Cherokees  and  every  Seneca  was  killed  except  the 
fast  runner.  He  escaped  from  the  enemy,  got  out  of  reach 
and  started  home  on  a  different  trail  from  the  one  the 
party  had  taken  when  coming.  The  third  day,  near  noon, 
he  came  to  a  deer-lick  and  sat  down  to  rest.  As  he  sat 
there,  he  saw  tracks  that  looked  like  the  tracks  of  a  very 
large  bear ;  he  got  up  and  followed  them  till  they  stopped 
at  a  tall  elm  tree,  then  he  saw  that  they  were  not  the  tracks 
of  an  ordinary  bear  but  of  one  of  the  old  kind,  the  great 
bear,  Nyagwaihe,  and  he  thought,  "No  matter  if  I  die, 
I  will  see  this  creature." 

The  tree  was  hollow,  the  man  climbed  up  and  looking 
into  the  hole  saw  the  bear.  It  had  no  hair  and  its  skin  was 
as  smooth  as  a  man's. 

The  Seneca  thought,  "I  mustn't  bother  this  creature, 
I'll  go  back  to  the  deer-lick."  He  hurried  down  the  tree 
and  ran  off  as  fast  as  he  could.  As  he  ran  he  heard  a 
terrible  noise  and  looking  around  saw  that  the  animal  had 
come  out  of  the  hole  and  was  following  him.  Going  back 
some  distance  he  ran  forward  and  sprang  into  the  deer- 
lick,  sinking  almost  to  his  waist  in  the  mud.  He  couldn't 
get  out  of  the  lick  and  could  only  with  great  difficulty  take 
a  step  forward,  dragging  one  foot  after  the  other.  When 
the  bear  came  to  the  lick  it  sprang  at  the  man  and  sank 
in  the  mud.  It  worked  its  way  to  the  middle  of  the  lick 
and  there  sank  out  of  sight. 

When  the  man  reached  solid  ground  he  ran  till  he  came 
to  a  fallen  tree,  then  he  sat  down  and  began  to  think.  He 
didn't  know  what  to  do,  he  had  nothing  to  eat  and  was 
too  tired  to  hunt.  Soon  a  stranger  came  to  him,  and  said, 
"You  think  that  you  are  going  to  die?" 

"I  do." 

"You  will  not.  I  have  come  to  save  you.  Go  to  where 
I  just  came  from,  off  in  that  direction,"  said  he,  pointing 
to  one  side,  "you  will  find  a  fire  and  over  it  a  kettle  of 


200  SENECA    MYTHS 

meat.  Best  and  eat.  Men  will  come  and  bother  you  but 
pay  no  attention  to  them.  When  you  sit  down  to  eat,  one 
will  say,  'Throw  a  piece  over  this  way,'  another  will  say, 
1  Throw  a  piece  over  this  way. '  But  pay  no  heed  to  them. 
If  you  throw  even  one  morsel  you  are  lost;  they  will  kill 
you." 

The  man  went  as  directed  and  found  a  kettle  of  meat 
and  hulled  corn.  As  he  ate,  it  seemed  as  though  a  crowd 
formed  in  a  circle  around  him.  Each  man  of  the  crowd 
began  to  beg  for  a  piece  of  meat.  They  begged  all  night, 
but  he  paid  no  attention  to  their  begging. 

In  the  morning,  after  the  Seneca  had  traveled  a  short 
distance,  he  met  the  stranger  who  sent  him  to  the  kettle. 
The  stranger  said,  "lam  glad  that  you  did  as  I  told  you. 
Go  toward  the  East  and  when  it  is  near  night,  sit  down 
by  a  tree.    I  will  come  to  you." 

The  man  traveled  all  day.  Near  sunset  he  found  a 
fallen  tree  and  sat  down. 

Soon  the  stranger  came.  He  said,  "Follow  my  tracks 
back  till  you  come  to  a  fire.  Over  the  fire  is  a  kettle  full 
of  meat  and  hulled  corn.  You  will  be  tormented  as  you 
were  last  night,  but  pay  no  heed  to  the  begging.  If  you 
escape  to-night,  you  will  have  no  more  trouble." 

The  Seneca  went  as  directed.  He  found  a  fire  and 
hanging  over  the  fire  a  kettle.  The  kettle  was  full  of 
meat  and  hulled  corn. 

That  night  men  begged  for  meat  as  the  night  before 
but  the  Seneca  paid  no  attention  to  them.  The  next  morn- 
ing the  stranger  came  to  him,  and  said,  "If  you  keep  on 
your  way,  you  will  reach  home  safe  and  well." 

As  he  started  along,  the  Seneca  turned  to  look  at  his 
friend  and  saw,  instead  of  a  man,  a  Shagodyoweg  gowa. 
Towards  night  he  got  hungry  and  thought  he  had  better 
look  for  game.  He  saw  a  deer,  killed  it  with  an  arrow, 
and  building  a  fire  he  roasted  pieces  of  the  meat  and  ate 
them.    He  was  now  strong  and  well. 

The  next  afternoon  he  shot  a  deer,  built  a  fire,  roasted 
pieces  of  meat  and  ate  them.  When  night  came  he  lay 
down  by  the  fire  but  he  couldn't  sleep.  After  a  while  two 
women  came  to  his  fire  and  one  of  them  asked,  "Are  you 
awake?" 


THE    BUFFALO   WOMEN  201 

<(Iara  awake/ ' 

"I  want  you  to  marry  my  daughter, ' '  said  the  woman. 

The  man  saw  that  the  girl  was  good  looking  and  he 
consented  to  marry  her.  He  didn't  know  where  to  go  and 
thought  if  he  married  he  would  have  company  and  after 
a  time  might  find  his  way  home. 

The  next  morning  the  mother  said,  "We  will  go  home." 

The  three  walked  on  till  midday,  then  they  came  to  a 
village  where,  it  seemed  to  the  young  man,  a  good  number 
of  people  were  living.  They  stopped  at  one  of  the  cabins. 
The  mother-in-law  said  to  him,  "This  is  our  home.  You 
will  stay  with  us." 

The  young  man  stayed  a  long  time  with  his  wife's 
parents.  One  night  he  heard  the  beating  of  a  drum  and 
heard  his  father-in-law  say,  "Eh!  Eh!"  The  old  man 
seemed  frightened  by  the  call. 

The  call  meant  that  the  chief  of  the  village — the  young 
buffalo  that  escaped  from  the  Dzog£on  and  now  lived  un- 
der a  hill  close  by,  was  to  have  a  dance,  and  that  all  the 
people  of  the  village  must  come  to  it. 

The  next  morning  everyone  went  to  the  place  where  the 
drum  was  beaten,  and  dancing  began.  The  crowd  danced 
all  day  and  all  night.  Young  Buffalo  and  his  two  wives 
came  out  and  danced.  In  the  morning  they  went  around 
among  the  crowd.  Buffalo  was  very  jealous.  He  pushed 
men  away  from  his  wives  and  wanted  to  fight.  Then  he 
went  under  the  hill  and  his  wives  followed  him. 

The  next  day  the  old  man  said  to  his  son-in-law,  "Buf- 
falo's wives  will  soon  come  out  and  go  to  the  river  for 
water.  They  will  pass  near  you,  but  you  must  not  speak 
or  smile.  Their  husband  is  a  bad  man.  If  you  speak  or 
smile,  he  will  know  it  and  will  harm  you." 

The  young  man  didn't  heed  his  father-in-law's  words. 
The  two  women  went  to  the  river  for  water.  As  they  came 
back,  they  smiled  and  looked  pleasant  and  the  young  man 
asked  them  for  a  drink.    They  gave  it  to  him  and  went  on. 

The  old  man  said,  "You  didn't  do  as  I  told  you  to. 
Now  the  chief  will  come  out  and  say  that  he  is  going  to 
challenge  a  man  to  a  foot  race.     He  will  name  you." 

Soon  young  Buffalo  came  and  pointing  at  the  Seneca 
said,  "I  challenge  this  stranger  to  run  a  race  with  me. 


202  SENECA    MYTHS 

If  I  am  a  better  runner  than  he  is,  I  will  take  his  life: 
if  he  is  better  than  I  am,  he  may  take  mine.  We  will 
begin  early  to-morrow  morning  and  run  around  and  around 
the  hill.  The  one  who  is  ahead  at  sundown  will  be  the 
winner. ' ' 

The  old  man  said  to  his  son-in-law,  "You  must  have 
an  extra  pair  of  moccasins  to  put  on  when  yours  wear 
out" 

The  next  morning  young  Buffalo  came  and  said,  "Now 
we  will  start !"  and  off  he  went. 

At  midday  the  young  man's  friends  called  to  him  to  do 
his  best  for  the  chief  was  gaining  on  him,  that  he  had  just 
gone  around  the  turn  ahead.  Soon  he  heard  the  chief's 
friends  tell  him  to  do  his  best  for  the  young  man  was 
gaining  on  him. 

Buffalo  got  tired,  went  crooked  and  soon  the  young  man 
overtook  him.  He  didn't  know  how  he  was  going  to  kill 
Buffalo  for  his  side  was  one  immense  rib — these  buffaloes 
were  not  like  the  buffaloes  of  to-day.  He  shot  from  be- 
hind, the  arrow  went  in  up  to  the  feathers,  only  a  bit  of 
it  stuck  out. 

The  two  ran  around  once  more.  As  they  came  near  the 
stopping  place,  the  crowd  called  to  the  young  man  to  shoot 
again.  He  did  and  killed  the  buffalo.  So  the  words  of 
the  Dzogeon  were  true — a  common  man  killed  young  Buf- 
falo. The  people  crowded  around  the  Seneca  and  thanked 
him  for  what  he  had  done. 

His  father-in-law  said  to  the  crowd,  "Now,  each  man 
is  free  to  go  where  he  wants  to." 

The  old  man  and  his  wife  with  their  daughter  and  son- 
in-law  went  home. 

Then  the  mother-in-law  said  to  the  young  man,  "Get 
ready,  you  must  visit  your  mother." 

Soon  after  the  young  man  and  his  wife  and  her  mother 
started.  They  were  ten  days  on  the  road.  It  was  Spring, 
the  time  of  sugar  making.  When  they  were  near  his 
mother's  house,  his  mother-in-law  said,  "My  daughter  and 
I  will  stop  in  this  swamp.  Your  mother  is  making  sugar. 
We  will  stay  here,  but  we  will  help  her  all  we  can." 

The  young  man  saw  his  mother  and  at  night  went  to 
the  house,  leaving  the  two  women  in  the  swamp.     In  the 


THE    BUFFALO   WOMEN  203 

night  the  wife  and  mother  collected  all  the  sap  and  gath- 
ered a  great  quantity  of  wood. 

The  next  morning,  when  the  mother  and  son  went  to  the 
woods,  they  found  no  sap  in  the  troughs  under  the  trees, 
but  when  they  came  to  the  boiling  place  they  found  the 
big  trough  full  and  a  great  pile  of  wood  close  by.  This 
work  went  on  for  some  days,  then  the  woman  said  to  her 
son-in-law,  "It  is  time  for  me  to  go  back  to  my  husband. 
You  are  free  now.  Have  no  hard  feelings.  I  shall  take 
my  daughter  with  me;  you  must  stay  with  your  mother. 
There  are  many  girls  who  want  to  marry  you  bat  the 
girl  you  must  marry  is  the  granddaughter  of  the  woman 
who  lives  in  the  house  at  the  edge  of  the  village.  They 
are  poor  and  the  girl  takes  care  of  her  grandmother. ' ' 

"As  you  leave  us,  call  out.  When  some  one  asks  why 
you  call,  tell  them  that  you  have  found  buffalo  tracks  in 
the  swamp.  Let  them  come  and  shoot  us;  we  will  get 
home  sooner." 

They  parted,  the  wife  and  mother-in-law  going  one  way, 
the  young  man  the  other.  As  he  went  he  called  out.  When 
men  asked  why  he  called,  he  said,  "I've  found  buffalo 
tracks  near  the  end  of  the  swamp/' 

Hunters  went  out  and  soon  overtook  the  buffaloes  and 
shot  them.  When  the  buffaloes  fell  the  hunters  thought 
they  had  killed  them,  that  they  were  dead,  but  they  were 
not.  When  they  were  shot  their  loads  dropped  off  and 
right  away  they  were  back  at  their  old  home.  They  left 
their  bodies  behind  and  people  ate  them,  but  their  spirits 
went  back  to  the  old  man  and  were  buffaloes  again. 

The  young  man  had  been  gone  so  long  that  the  Senecas 
thought  him  a  great  man.  Women  wanted  him  for  their 
daughters,  but  he  refused  every  offer  and  married  the 
granddaughter  of  the  old  woman  who  lived  at  the  edge 
of  the  village. 


THE  GHOST  WOMAN 

IN  a  Seneca  village  there  was  a  young  man  who  was  an 
orphan.  He  had  neither  home  nor  relatives.  He  lived 
first  with  one  family  and  then  with  another. 

One  fall,  when  the  men  were  getting  ready  to  go  deer 
hunting,  the  young  man  asked  if  he  could  go.  The  hunters 
didn't  want  him  and  he  was  left  alone. 

Then  he  said,  "I'll  go  by  myself,"  and  he  started. 
Towards  night  he  came  to  an  opening  in  the  woods  and 
saw  a  brush  house  over  by  the  bushes. 

He  went  to  the  house  and  looked  in;  there  was  no  one 
there.  The  young  man  thought  that  the  other  hunters 
had  built  the  house  and  spent  a  night  there.  He  went 
in,  kindled  a  fire,  made  a  place  to  sleep  on,  and  lay  down. 

About  midnight  he  heard  someone  come  in  and,  open- 
ing his  eyes,  he  saw  a  woman.  She  looked  at  him  but 
didn't  speak,  then  she  moved  toward  his  couch  and  stopped 
again. 

At  last  she  said,  "I  have  come  to  help  you.  You  must 
not  be  afraid.    I  will  stay  all  night  in  the  cabin." 

He  said,  "If  you  will  help  me,  you  may  stay." 

"I  have  passed  through  this  world,"  said  the  woman, 
"I  know  that  you  are  poor;  that  you  have  no  relatives 
and  are  alone;  the  hunters  didn't  want  you  to  go  with 
them.  This  is  why  I  came  to  help  you.  To-morrow  start 
early  and  travel  till  it  is  time  to  camp,  then  I  will  be 
there." 

Towards  daylight  the  woman  left  the  cabin. 

In  the  morning  the  young  man  started  on.  Towards 
dark,  when  he  thought  it  was  time  to  stop,  he  looked  for 
a  spring,  found  one  and  had  just  finished  his  camp  when 
night  came. 

In  the  night  the  woman  came  as  before.  The  next  day 
the  man  had  good  luck.     He  killed  every  kind  of  game. 

The  woman  stayed  with  him  till  the  hunting  season  was 
over.    No  hunter  in  the  woods  had  killed  as  much  game 

204 


THE   GHOST    WOMAN  205 

as  he  had.  When  he  was  ready  to  go  home  the  woman 
said,  "I  will  go  with  you  to  the  first  camp  you  made." 

They  spent  the  night  at  that  camping  place.  The  next 
morning,  she  said,  ' '  I  will  stay  here.  When  you  get  home 
everybody  will  find  out  that  you  have  brought  all  kinds 
of  meat  and  skins.  One  and  another  will  come  to  you 
and  say,  'You  must  marry  my  daughter,'  an  old  woman 
will  say,  'You  must  marry  my  granddaughter.'  Don't 
listen  to  them.  Come  back  next  year  and  you  will  have 
good  luck.  When  you  are  getting  ready,  if  a  man  wants 
to  come  with  you,  don't  let  him.  Come  alone.  We  will 
meet  here." 

They  parted,  and  the  young  man  continued  his  journey, 
carrying  on  his  back  a  heavy  load  of  game. 

In  the  village  he  found  some  of  the  hunters.  Others 
came  soon  after.    All  boasted  of  the  game  they  had  killed. 

The  young  man  said,  "I  will  give  each  man  as  much 
meat  as  he  wants,  if  he  will  go  to  my  camp  and  get  it. ' ' 

Many  went  and  brought  back  all  the  meat  they  could 
carry;  still  there  was  meat  left. 

Every  woman  who  had  a  daughter  or  a  granddaughter, 
asked  the  young  man  to  come  and  live  with  them.  At  last 
the  chief  asked  him  to  marry  his  daughter.  The  man 
was  afraid  that  if  he  refused  harm  would  come  to  him, 
for  the  chief  was  a  powerful  person.  He  consented  and 
married  the  chief's  daughter. 

When  the  hunting  season  came,  a  great  many  men,  and 
the  chief,  who  thought  his  son-in-law  was  the  best  hunter 
in  the  tribe,  wanted  to  go  hunting  with  him,  but  he  said, 
"I'm  not  going  this  year." 

The  hunters  started  off  one  after  another.  When  all 
had  gone,  the  young  man  went  alone  to  the  camp  where 
he  was  to  meet  the  woman. 

Early  in  the  night  she  came  in,  stopped  by  the  door, 
and  said,  "I  am  sorry  you  didn't  do  as  I  told  you  to. 
Now  I  cannot  stay  with  you, ' '  and  she  disappeared. 

Day  after  day  the  man  hunted  but  he  saw  no  large 
game.  He  shot  small  gamp,  squirrels  and  birds,  for  he 
was  hungry.  He  went  back  to  the  village  and  had  to  tell 
the  people  that  he  had  seen  no  game. 

The  woman  was  a  ghost  woman. 


WISHAKON  AND  HIS  FKIEND  VISIT  THE 
PLETHOAK  (THUNDERS) 

[A  Delaware  story  told  by  John  Armstrong] 


Characters 
Wishakon 
Plethoak Thunders — Thunder  is  Pletho 


AN  old  man  and  a  little  boy  lived  together  with  great 
affection.    They  were  not  relatives;  they  called  each 
other  " Friend." 

One  day  the  old  man  put  on  new  moccasins,  fixed  new 
feathers  in  his  head-dress,  trimmed  his  hair  and  painted 
his  face. 

The  little  boy,  watching  him,  asked,  "What  are  you 
going  to  do,  my  friend?" 

"I'm  going  on  a  long  journey,  I  want  to  see  what  there 
is  in  the  world. ' ' 

"May  I  go  with  you?" 

"If  your  father  and  mother  are  willing." 

The  boy  asked  his  parents  and  they  gave  their  consent. 
His  friend  gave  him  a  new  bow  and  arrows,  trimmed  his 
hair,  painted  his  face  and  put  a  new  feather  in  his  head- 
dress.    Then  they  set  out  together. 

When  night  came,  they  made  a  fire  in  the  woods,  ate 
and  slept. 

They  traveled  many  days.  At  last  they  came  to  a  lake 
so  broad  that  they  could  not  cross  it. 

"How  can  we  get  to  the  other  side?"  asked  the  boy. 

"Well  make  a  canoe,"  said  his  friend. 

"Will  it  take  long  to  make  a  canoe?" 

206 


WISHAKON   AND   PLETHOAK       207 

"It  will  not." 

The  old  man  looked  around  in  the  woods  till  he  found 
a  hickory  tree.  He  pulled  the  tree  up,  stripped  the  bark 
off  and  made  a  large  canoe.  The  next  morning  they  put 
their  bows  and  arrows  into  the  canoe  and  started  to  cross 
the  lake.  Toward  night  they  came  to  a  low  island  and, 
without  going  on  shore,  they  fastened  their  canoe  to  the 
bullrushes. 

"How  can  we  sleep  here?"  asked  the  boy.  "Maybe  in 
the  water  there  are  creatures  that  will  come  out  and  kill 
us." 

"We  are  safe  here,"  said  the  old  man. 

"If  the  wind  blows,  we  will  be  carried  out  into  the  lake," 
said  the  boy. 

"The  wind  will  not  blow." 

The  boy  and  his  friend  lay  down  and  fell  asleep.  About 
midnight  the  boy  heard  the  water  roar  and  it  seemed  to 
him  that  the  canoe  was  moving  swiftly.  He  thought  the 
wind  was  blowing.  He  sat  up.  It  was  clear  overhead,  and 
the  wind  wasn't  blowing. 

"The  water  must  be  running  very  fast,"  thought  the 
boy;  and  putting  his  hand  out  he  touched  the  water  and 
found  that  it  was  going  with  great  swiftness.  He  roused 
the  old  man  by  reaching  his  feet  and  shaking  them. 

"Get  up,  friend,"  said  he,  "something  is  the  trouble. 
The  water  is  running  by  very  fast.  "Where  is  the  lake 
going?" 

"Lie  down,"  said  the  old  man,  "no  harm  will  come 
to  us." 

The  boy  lay  down,  but  couldn't  sleep.  Just  at  daybreak 
a  voice  spoke  to  him,  and,  opening  his  eyes,  he  saw  a  fine 
looking  man,  ornamented  with  paint  and  feathers.  He 
saw  also  that  the  canoe  was  on  dry  land. 

The  stranger  wakened  the  old  man,  and  said,  "Come 
with  me!" 

Taking  their  bows  and  arrows  the  old  man  and  the  boy 
followed  the  stranger,  who  led  them  to  a  long  house.1 
There  were  many  persons  inside,  some  asleep,  some  awake. 
When  the  old  man  of  the  house  met  them  he  said  to  their 
guide,  "Oh,  you  have  brought  them?" 

i  The  Indian  council  house. 


208  SENECA    MYTHS 

Then  he  turned  to  the  two  friends,  and  said,  "lam  glad 
that  you  have  come.  You  have  heard  of  us.  We  are  the 
people  whom  you  call  Thunder.  We  bring  rain  to  make 
corn  and  beans  and  squashes  grow.  We  put  it  in  your 
mind  to  come  on  this  journey  from  the  East.  We  want 
you  to  help  us.  You  are  more  powerful  than  we  are.  We 
want  you  to  kill  some  of  our  enemies.' ' 

Old  man  Thunder  placed  food  before  the  friends,  corn, 
beans,  and  squash,  and  said,  "We  have  plenty  of  this 
food.  We  take  a  little  from  a  great  many  fields.  When 
you  see  a  small  or  withered  squash,  or  bad  kernels  of  corn 
on  an  ear,  or  dried-up  beans  in  a  pod  you  may  know  that 
we  have  taken  our  part  from  them.  We  have  taken  the 
spirit  and  left  the  shell.  If  you  see  a  whole  field  of 
withered  corn,  you  may  know  that  we  have  taken  the  spirit 
from  it,  but  we  seldom  destroy  a  whole  field;  we  take 
only  a  little." 

After  the  friends  had  eaten,  the  old  chief  said,  "On  a 
hill  is  a  great  hemlock  tree.  On  that  tree  is  a  porcupine 
of  enormous  size.  He  hurls  his  quills  and  kills  everyone 
who  approaches  him.  We  Thunders  are  afraid  to  go  near 
the  tree.     We  want  you  to  destroy  this  porcupine. " 

As  they  started  for  the  hill  the  little  boy  went  ahead. 
The  old  man  and  the  Thunders  laughed  to  see  him,  and 
the  old  man  said,  "I  think  my  little  friend  might  try 
"his  luck  first."  The  boy  heard  this  and  was  greatly 
pleased. 

They  stopped  some  distance  from  the  tree.  No  one 
would  venture  near  it.  The  boy  went  into  the  ground 
and  forward  till  he  was  directly  under  the  porcupine. 
Then  he  put  his  head  and  arms  out  of  the  ground,  took 
aim  and  sent  an  arrow  into  the  porcupine's  body.  The 
porcupine  moved  a  little.  The  boy  sent  another  arrow, 
and  still  another.  The  porcupine,  feeling  something,  raised 
up  his  quills  and  shot  them  off  in  every  direction,  then 
groaned,  rolled  from  the  tree,  and  fell  to  the  ground 
dead. 

The  Thunders  came  up,  cut  open  the  porcupine,  took 
out  its  entrails,  and  ate  its  flesh. 

All  wondered  at  the  power  of  the  little  boy.  Old  man 
Thunder  said,  "We  have  another  enemy,  a  sunfish  that 


WISHAKON   AND    PLfiTHOAK        209 

lives  in  our  river  here  and  lets  no  one  come  near  for 
water. ' ' 

The  boy  said,  "I  can  kill  him." 

The  next  day  the  Thunders  and  the  old  man  went  near 
enough  to  show  the  boy  where  the  sunfish  lived.  A  great 
tree  had  fallen  into  the  river,  under  the  trunk  of  this  tree 
the  sunfish  had  its  home.  The  boy  saw  the  fish.  He  sent 
an  arrow  and  the  arrow  went  straight  to  the  heart  of  the 
sunfish  and  the  sunfish  came  to  the  surface  and  died.  The 
Thunders  sprang  into  the  water,  pulled  the  body  out  and 
dragged  it  off  to  Old  Thunder's  house. 

The  next  day  Old  Thunder  said,  "We  have  one  more 
enemy.  Every  day  there  flies  past  here  a  creature  as  big 
as  a  cloud.  He  brings  sickness  here  and  many  of  our 
people  die.  If  we  could  kill  this  creature,  few  of  us  would 
die.  He  passes  here  from  the  West,  early  in  the  morning, 
and  goes  back  in  the  evening." 

The  next  morning  the  old  man  and  the  boy  went  out 
and  hid  in  the  grass.  Soon  they  saw  the  creature  coming 
from  the  West.  When  it  was  over  the  place  where  the  two 
were  hidden,  the  boy  sent  an  arrow  into  its  body.  The 
creature  didn't  fall,  but  it  turned  and  went  slowly  back 
in  the  direction  from  which  it  came. 

Old  man  Thunder  was  very  thankful.  He  said  to  the 
two  friends,  "You  may  stay  here  and  live  with  us." 

The  old  man  said,  "I  cannot  help  you,  but  my  little 
friend,  W!shakon,  may  stay.  He  is  so  powerful  that  he 
will  be  of  great  assistance  to  you. ' ' 

"We  will  go  to  your  place  to-night,"  said  old  man 
Thunder.    "We  will  carry  you  with  us  in  the  clouds." 

When  they  came  to  the  old  man's  place,  the  council 
house  was  full  of  people.  As  Thunders  entered  they  began 
to  dance.  When  they  shook  their  heads,  lightning  flashed 
around  the  room. 

The  chiefs  said,  "Our  grandfathers  are  here  to-night. 
They  may  do  us  harm. ' ' 

For  a  little  while  Thunders  quieted  down.  Again  they 
got  excited  in  the  dance  and  shook  their  heads  till  light- 
ning flashed  everywhere  and  the  people  were  frightened. 
When  they  had  danced  as  long  as  they  wanted  to,  they 
went  home,  leaving  the  old  man,  but  taking  WIshakon 


210  SENECA    MYTHS 

with  them,  and  to  this  day  the  little  boy  goes  with  them 
everywhere. 

After  the  great  Thunders  roar  we  hear  the  little  fellow 
with  his  alto  voice,  and  we  say,  "That  is  WIshakon," 
and  we  burn  tobacco  saying,  "This  is  all  we  have  to  give," 
and  we  thank  him  for  rain. 


THE  ADVENTURES   OF  HANISHEONON 
[Told  by  John  Jimison] 


Characters 


Gendagahadedyatha June-bug 

Hanisheono11    Muck-worm 

O'nowehda  Angleworm 

Otgondahe11 Snake  (red-bellied) 

O'shonyuqda  Corn-worm 

Sehdo°hgwade   Wood-tick 


A  MAN  lived  in  the  ground.  His  name  was  Hanish£- 
ONOn.  One  morning  this  man  thought,  "I  ought  to 
go  around  the  world  and  find  people."  He  came  out 
of  the  ground  and  went  off  through  the  woods.  After  a 
while  he  saw  a  cabin,  and  going  near  it  he  peeped  through 
a  crack  and  saw  a  blind  woman,  Corn-worm.  He  stood 
around  thinking  what  to  do. 

At  last  he  said,  *  *  I  '11  go  in  there  and  have  sport  with 
her." 

When  inside  HanIsheono11  picked  up  live  coals  and  put 
them  on  the  woman's  head. 

She  began  to  cry  and  to  say,  ' '  Oh,  my  head  aches !  My 
head  aches!"  She  didn't  know  there  were  coals  on  her 
head.  Then  she  thought  she  heard  some  one  moving 
around.  Picking  up  a  club,  she  raised  it  and  ran  toward 
the  noise  screaming,  "I'll  kill  you!  I'll  kill  you!"  She 
struck  out  and  nearly  hit  Hanisheono11. 

He  was  frightened;  he  thought,  "She  will  kill  me  if  I 

211 


212  SENECA    MYTHS 

stay  here.  I  '11  get  away. ' '  He  left  the  cabin  and  traveled 
on.  At  last  he  came  to  another  cabin.  Looking  through  a 
crack  he  saw  an  old  blind  man,  and  thought,  "I'll  have 
sport  with  him." 

As  soon  as  Hanish^ono11  was  in  the  house,  he  took  up  a 
bucket,  that  stood  there  full  of  water,  and  poured  the  water 
on  to  the  old  man's  head. 

"What  a  rain!"  said  the  old  man.  "My  house  leaks. 
I  '11  go  to  a  corner  where  it  is  dry, ' '  and  getting  up  he  went 
to  the  other  end  of  the  cabin.  HanIsh^ono11  followed  him 
and  poured  more  water  on  his  head. 

1 '  It  leaks  here,  too ! ' '  said  the  old  man.  "  I  '11  sit  where 
I  was  before  and  I'll  smoke." 

Taking  a  pipe  out  of  a  pouch  he  put  tobacco  into  it  and 
lighted  it.  HanIsh^ono11  poured  water  into  the  pipe  and 
put  out  the  fire. 

"I  thought  there  was  fire  in  my  pipe,"  said  the  old 
man. 

He  got  a  second  coal.  Hanish^ono11  poured  water  into 
the  pipe  a  second  time.  A  third  time  the  old  man  put 
in  a  coal  and  that  time  Hanish^ono11  let  him  smoke,  but 
he  took  a  black  flint  and  struck  him  on  the  thigh,  saying, 
"That's  the  way  I  do  when  I  want  some  one  to  stop." 

Then  he  went  out  and  set  the  old  man's  house  on  fire, 
saying,  "  1 11  burn  him  up,  I  don 't  want  blind  men  around 
here." 

The  old  man  said,  "It's  hot  here.  I  think  my  house  is 
burning.  I  don't  want  to  be  burnt  to  death,"  and  taking 
a  flint  knife  he  stabbed  himself  in  the  breast ;  blood  gushed 
out  and  ran  across  the  hut. 

When  nothing  was  left  of  the  hut  but  coals,  HanIsh^ono" 
saw  that  a  stream  of  blood  came  from  under  the  coals 
and  flowed  toward  the  West.  (The  door  of  the  hut  opened 
to  the  West).  Right  away  the  blood  turned  to  the  old 
man;  he  was  alive  again.  Hanish£onod  said  to  him,  "If 
you  want  to  stay  alive  you  must  live  under  the  ground." 
The  old  man  crawled  into  the  ground. 

This  is  why  angleworms  are  in  the  ground  now. 

Hanish^ono11  went  on  till  he  came  to  a  house  where 
another  old  man  lived  and  going  in,  he  said,  "Uncle,  I've 
come  to  visit  you." 


ADVENTURES    OF    HANISHEONON     213 

"I'm  glad  that  you've  come,  Nephew;  I  get  lonesome 
sometimes. ' ' 

"Haven't  you  a  game  to  play?"  asked  HanIsheono11. 

"I  have  no  game." 

"Well,  I  have  one,"  and  taking  hold  of  the  old  man, 
IlANfsH£oNOn  began  to  pull  him  to  pieces.  He  pulled  off 
his  arms  and  legs,  and  killed  him.  Then  he  made  up  his 
mind  to  bring  him  to  life  and  he  began  to  put  the  pieces 
together.  As  he  joined  the  pieces  he  pulled  them  out  and 
when  the  man  came  to  life  he  was  very  long  and  thin,  and 
Hanisheono11  said,  "You  are  Otg6ndahed  (Red  Belly,  a 
snake)." 

Hanisheono11  went  off  toward  the  West  and  coming  to 
a  house  he  walked  in  and  looked  around.  A  man  was 
sitting  by  the  fire. 

Hanisheono11  said,  "Uncle,  I've  come  to  visit  you." 

"Very  well,"  said  the  man,  "I'm  lonesome." 

"Why  do  you  live  here?" 

"I  like  to  track  game." 

"Do  you  catch  any?" 

"Yes,  I've  just  caught  a  deer." 

"Where  is  your  trap?" 

"Down  in  Open  Rocks." 

"Come  and  show  it  to  me." 

They  went  out  together  and  Hanisheono11  found  that  at 
a  place  where  large  rocks  nearly  met  at  one  end,  the  man 
had  suspended  a  tree  in  such  a  way  that  if  it  were  touched 
by  an  animal  trying  to  pass,  it  would  fall  and  catch  it. 

"Try  it  yourself,"  said  the  man. 

Hanisheono11  didn't  think  it  was  much  of  a  trap;  he 
laughed  at  it,  but  when  he  tried  to  go  under  the  tree  he 
was  caught.  The  man  let  him  out,  but  Hanisheono11  was 
angry.  He  threw  the  old  man  down,  jumped  on  him  and 
killed  him,  then  said,  "I'll  fix  him  up  again,  but  I  don't 
want  to  make  another  snake."  He  broke  each  arm  into 
two  pieces  and  each  leg  into  four  pieces,  pulled  out  the 
body,  made  it  longer,  and  put  three  legs  on  each  side,  and 
small  bits  of  the  arms  on  the  man's  face,  one  each  side  of 
his  nose.  Then  he  said,  "I've  finished  you!"  He  had 
changed  the  man  into  an  Ongwe'. 

This  time  Hanisheono"  went  toward  the  West.     After 


214  SENECA    MYTHS 

a  while  he  came  to  a  clean,  beautiful  forest — there  was  no 
underbrush — and  seeing  a  house  he  went  to  it  and  found 
an  old  woman  sitting  by  a  fire. 

"I've  come  to  visit  you,"  said  HanIsheono11. 

"I  don't  want  you  to  visit  me,  I  don't  like  you,"  said 
the  woman. 

"Why  do  you  live  here?"  asked  Hanisheono11. 

"To  watch.    If  I  see  a  man,  I  kill  him." 

"That  is  wrong,"  said  Hanisheono11.  "I'm  going  around 
to  fix  this  world  over.  If  I  see  people  doing  wrong  I 
punish  them,"  and  catching  the  old  woman  by  the  hair,  he 
pulled  her  out  of  the  house.  She  was  very  angry  and 
Hanisheono11  was  afraid  of  her.  He  ran  off  and  she  after 
him.  When  she  overtook  him  he  began  to  cry  and  beg. 
The  woman  said,  "You  began  this,  now  I'll  kill  you." 

HanIsheono11  picked  up  a  large  piece  of  flint  and  threw 
it  at  her  head ;  it  bounded  back  and  hit  him.  He  fell  over, 
but  soon  sprang  up  and  threw  a  second  stone.  This  time 
he  killed  the  woman. 

"I'll  not  bring  her  to  life,"  said  he,  and  he  pounded 
the  body  till  it  was  a  mass  of  blood  and  bones.  Then  he 
sat  down  and  watched  a  little  stream  of  blood  that  came 
from  the  mass.  When  the  blood  dried,  a  very  small  thin 
insect  came  from  it.  "I  didn't  kill  you,  after  all,"  said 
HANfsH£oNOn.  "Now  you  can  live  forever  and  I'll  call 
you  Sehdodhgwade"  (Wood-tick).  She  was  a  mosquito 
before. 

When  Hanisheono11  came  to  another  house,  he  heard 
some  one  singing.  He  stood  at  one  side  of  the  house  and 
listened.  The  song  said,  "Hanisheono11  is  walking  around 
this  earth.     Hanisheono11  is  walking  around  this  earth." 

* '  Somebody  is  singing  about  me, ' '  thought  HanIsheono11. 

The  singing  stopped  and  he  heard  a  man  say,  "Last 
night  I  dreamed  that  Hanisheono11  came  here  and  was 
standing  outside." 

"How  does  he  know  that  I'm  standing  outside?" 
thought  HanIsheono11. 

He  went  in,  and  said,  "Yes,  I'm  here." 

The  man  laughed,  and  asked,  "Which  way  did  you 
come?" 


ADVENTURES    OF    HANISHEONON     215 

"I  came  out  of  the  ground.  Wouldn't  you  like  a  new- 
blanket  I"  asked  Hanish6onod. 

"I  would  like  a  new  blanket,  mine  is  worn  out." 

HanIsh^ono11  got  some  slate  stone,  dug  out  two  small 
bowls  and  gave  them  to  him. 

"How  can  I  wear  these?"  asked  the  man. 

"I'll  fix  them,"  said  HanIsheono11,  and  he  put  one  on 
each  side  of  the  man's  back  and  fastened  them  on  so  they 
couldn't  come  off.  And  the  man,  who  had  been  a  wood- 
worm before,  was  changed  to  a  June-bug. 

"Now  I  have  finished  my  work,"  said  Hanish^onoq,  and 
he  went  home  to  the  hole  in  the  ground  under  the  center 
of  the  Blue.  He  wras  a  great  power  and  that  was  why 
he  was  called  Hanisheono11.  Whenever  he  came  out  of  his 
house  under  the  ground,  he  chased  people  and  changed 
them  to  something  worse  than  they  were  before. 

Hanisheono11  stayed  at  home  a  long  time.  One  morning 
he  heard  steps  and  he  said  to  himself,  "Somebody  is  com- 
ing to  visit  me."  Soon  there  was  a  kick  at  the  door  and 
a  woman  came  in.    "You  are  at  home,"  said  she. 

"I  am." 

"You  have  been  doing  bad  things,"  said  the  woman. 
"I  don't  want  you  to  harm  people.  I  gave  you  power 
and  if  you  don't  stop  making  bad  use  of  it,  I  will  punish 
you. ' ' 

"I  shan't  stop  doing  as  I  am  doing,  for  I  am  doing 
right." 

The  woman  was  angry.  She  threw  flint  stones  at  Han!- 
sh£onod,  hit  him  on  the  head  and  stunned  him,  then  she 
pounded  him  till  his  bones  were  crushed. 

"Now,"  said  she,  "You'll  be  this  way  forever." 

She  had  taken  his  power  away  and  changed  him  to  a 
common  muckworm. 

The  narrator  says  that  HanIsh^ono11  was  an  evil  spirit 
and  that  spirits  like  him  are  still  walking  around  in  the 
world. 


STONE  COAT,  COLD  AND  FROST 


Character 
Genodskwa Stone  Coat  (Cold  and  Frost) 


ALONG  time  ago  some  Senecas  went  out  to  hunt.  A 
Stone  Coat  came  to  their  camp  and  said,  "I  want 
to  stay  in  your  camp.  If  you  will  let  me  stay,  you  will 
have  good  luck."  The  hunters  let  him  stay  and  from  that 
time  on  they  had  great  luck. 

When  it  was  time  for  them  to  go  home,  Stone  Coat  said, 
"I  will  pack  up  each  man's  load  of  meat  and  skins." 
They  had  dried  meat,  buckskins,  and  fur. 

Stone  Coat  packed  in  a  bundle  what  he  thought  each 
man  could  carry,  then  he  shook  the  bundle  till  it  became 
small.  He  told  the  men  when  they  got  home  to  throw  the 
bundles  on  the  ground  and  they  would  be  as  large  as  when 
he  packed  them. 

Then  he  bade  them  good-bye,  saying,  "I  hope  you  will 
come  here  next  Winter  and  we  can  be  together  again. ' ' 

The  next  Winter  those  hunters  went  to  the  same  hunting 
ground.  A  young  Stone  Coat  came  to  their  camp,  and 
said,  "My  father  has  sent  me  to  bring  one  of  your  party 
to  his  place." 

One  of  the  men  volunteered  to  go. 

''Maybe,"  said  he,  "we  will  live  longer  by  doing  as 
he  wishes."    And  he  went  with  the  young  Stone  Coat. 

When  they  came  to  Stone  Coat's  house  the  old  man 
said,  ' '  My  son,  I  sent  for  you  because  I  want  you  to  marry 
my  daughter.  You  need  not  be  afraid,  I  will  make  my 
people  understand  that  they  are  not  to  harm  you. ' ' 

The  man  married  Stone  Coat's  daughter. 

The  old  man  got  something  that  looked  like  a  bone  and 

216 


STONE  COAT,  COLD  AND  FROST     217 

rubbed  it  over  his  son-in-law's  hands,  feet  and  body,  then 
told  him  to  go  hunting.  The  young  man  felt  himself  grow 
strong  and  felt  that  he  could  carry  anything  he  laid  his 
eyes  on. 

There  was  a  young  Stone  Coat  who  loved  the  old  man's 
daughter  and  had  wanted  to  marry  her.  He  was  angry 
at  the  Seneca  and  going  to  him,  he  said,  ' 'You  and  I  must 
have  a  foot-race.  If  I  outrun  you  and  win  I  will  cut  off 
your  head  and  take  your  wife.  If  you  win  you  may  cut 
off  my  head." 

When  the  day  came  for  the  race,  all  of  the  Stone  Coat 
people  assembled. 

The  father-in-law  said  to  the  Seneca,  "You  needn't  be 
afraid,  I  will  help  you."  And  taking  a  substance  out  of 
a  stone  box  he  rubbed  it  over  the  young  man's  body. 

The  opponents  locked  hands  and  ran.  When  they 
reached  a  certain  small  tree  they  were  to  let  go  of  hands 
and  run  on,  but  Stone  Coat  held  to  the  young  man's  hand 
till  they  had  bent  down  the  hemlock  tree  and  were  nearly 
at  the  end  of  it,  then  Stone  Coat  let  go.  The  tree  sprang 
up  and  sent  the  Seneca  a  long  distance  back  beyond  the 
crowd,  but  he  hurried  forward,  outran  Stone  Coat  and  cut 
off  his  head. 


EAIN  OLD  MAN  AND  THE  HORNED  SNAKE 
(LIGHTNING) 

ONCE,  when  the  Senecas  were  at  war  with  the  Chero- 
kees,  they  got  very  hungry  and  seeing  a  bear  they 
chased  it  till  it  came  to  a  den  and  one  of  the  men  followed 
it  into  the  den.  When  some  distance  in,  he  no  longer 
saw  the  bear  but  he  saw  a  fire  and  around  it  a  number  of 
men.  A  very  old  man  looked  up,  and  asked,  "Why  did 
you  try  to  shoot  one  of  my  men  ?  I  sent  him  out  to  entice 
you  to  us.  I  want  to  send  word  to  the  oldest  man  in  your 
camp.  Tell  him  from  me  that  his  friend  is  here  and  in 
need  of  tobacco.  To-morrow  as  many  of  your  people  as 
care  to  can  come  to  us." 

The  young  man  went  back  to  camp  and  the  next  day 
five  of  his  companions,  each  with  a  pouch  of  tobacco  went 
to  the  den.  When  they  gave  the  tobacco  to  the  old  man, 
he  was  glad,  and  said,  ' '  This  will  last  me  a  long  time. ' ' 

One  of  the  men  in  the  den  said,  "I  am  tired." 

"Lie  down,"  said  the  old  man. 

He  lay  down.  The  old  man  got  up  and  going  to  him 
rubbed  his  body  from  the  feet  to  the  top  of  the  head.  Then, 
putting  down  a  vessel  he  had  been  holding  in  his  hand, 
he  unjointed  every  joint  in  the  man's  body  and  cut  the 
body  to  pieces.  He  put  each  piece  into  a  mortar  and  tak- 
ing a  pestle  pounded  the  flesh  and  bones  to  jelly  and 
poured  the  mass  into  a  bowl.  Then  he  took  the  bowl  and 
the  other  vessel  to  another  part  of  the  den.  After  a  time 
he  came  back,  sat  down  and  began  to  smoke. 

Soon  he  called,  "Come  out  Nephew,  you  have  slept  long 
enough. ' ' 

When  the  man  came  out,  he  looked  as  light  and  fresh 
as  a  young  boy. 

One  of  the  Senecas  asked,  "Can  you  do  this  for  me?" 

"I  can,"  said  the  old  man,  "if  you  want  me  to." 

The  Seneca  lay  down  and  the  old  man  did  with  him 

218 


RAIN    OLD    MAN  219 

exactly  as  he  had  with  the  other  man.  After  he  had  car- 
ried the  two  vessels  to  another  part  of  the  den  he  came 
back  and  began  to  smoke.  Soon  he  called,  "Come  out, 
Nephew,  you  have  slept  long  enough. " 

The  man  rose  up  and  came  out  fresh  and  young.  He 
felt  no  weight  in  his  body. 

Another  Seneca  asked  to  be  treated  in  the  same  way, 
the  old  man  consented,  and  he  too  came  out  light  and 
young. 

A  third  Seneca  asked  the  old  man  to  change  him,  but 
he  refused,  saying,  "I  have  done  enough,  now  I  will  tell 
you  why  I  did  this.  There  is  a  wide  opening  extending 
from  one  end  of  the  world  to  the  other.  In  this  opening 
there  is  a  great  rock  and  in  the  rock  is  a  person  with 
enormous  horns.  He  is  our  enemy  and  we  have  tried  to 
kill  him,  but  cannot.  I  want  the  men,  whom  I  have  made 
young  and  strong,  to  try  and  crush  the  rock  and  destroy 
this  person.    But  first  you  two  must  test  your  strength." 

The  two  went  outside  and  shot  at  a  rock;  it  crumbled 
to  pieces.  They  shot  at  a  large  tree;  it  fell  to  the  ground, 
only  a«stump  was  left. 

"Now,"  said  the  old  man,  "you  may  go  to  the  opening 
and  see  what  you  can  do.  You  will  never  die  for  we  never 
die.  Your  companions  can  stay  here.  I  always  help  my 
grandchildren.  I  cover  their  trail  whenever  they  need  to 
hide  it.    It  is  I  who  makes  rain  come." 

The  two  went  to  the  opening  and  seeing  the  rock,  shot 
at  it.     Then  they  went  back  to  the  old  man. 

He  asked,  "Did  you  use  all  of  your  strength?" 

"We  could  have  struck  harder,"  said  one  of  the  men. 

"Go  back,"  said  the  old  man,  "and  use  all  of  your 
strength. ' ' 

This  time  they  struck  the  rock  with  all  their  strength. 
After  listening  a  while  they  heard  someone  coming,  and 
soon  saw  a  man  and,  strapped  on  his  back  was  the  head 
of  an  enormous  horned  snake — they  had  killed  the  snake. 

The  two  men  said,  "Our  work  is  done,  Rain  Old  Man's 
enemy,  the  great  horned  snake,  is  dead." 

And  they  went  back  to  their  camp. 


WHIRLWIND  AND  HER  HUSBAND 
[Told-by  Peter  White] 


Character 
Dagwanoebyent Whirlwind 


AN  old  man  and  his  nephew  lived  together  in  a  bark 
house  in  the  woods.  The  old  man  made  the  boy  live 
on  fungus  and  told  him  always  to  go  South  to  find  it,  he 
must  never  go  toward  the  North. 

Each  day  the  uncle  went  off  hunting,  but  he  never 
brought  home  any  game.  He  lived  on  chestnut  pudding 
and  bear's  oil. 

For  a  long  time  the  nephew  couldn't  find  out  how  his 
uncle  made  the  pudding,  but  one  day  he  discovered  that 
the  old  man  had  a  little  kettle,  that  he  put  a  speck  of 
chestnut  in  the  kettle  and  then  said,  ' '  Swell  kettle !  Swell 
kettle!"  And  soon  he  had  a  good  sized  kettle  and  it  was 
full  of  pudding. 

The  next  day,  after  his  uncle  had  gone  hunting,  the 
young  man  found  the  kettle  and  had  a  good  meal  of 
pudding  and  each  day  after  that,  as  soon  as  his  uncle  was 
out  of  sight,  he  made  pudding. 

The  young  man  began  to  wonder  why  his  uncle  always 
cautioned  him  not  to  go  North,  and  after  thinking  over  it 
a  while  he  made  up  his  mind  to  find  out.  He  started  and 
traveled  till  he  came  to  a  house.  In  the  house  he  found 
a  supply  of  deer  and  bear  meat  hanging  up  around  the 
walls,  and  many  skins  full  of  bear's  oil.  A  woman  sat 
in  the  middle  of  the  room,  with  her  head  bent  down.     A 

220 


WHIRLWIND  AND  HER  HUSBAND     221 

little  boy  was  crawling  around.     When  the  boy  saw  the 
young  man,  he  clapped  his  hands  and  laughed. 

The  woman  took  no  notice  of  what  was  going  on.  The 
young  man  played  a  while  with  the  child,  then  started  for 
home  taking  along  a  piece  of  meat  that  he  had  hidden 
under  his  blanket. 

Things  went  on  in  this  way  for  a  number  of  years.  The 
uncle  started  off  to  hunt.  The  young  man  went  to  the 
long  house  and  played  with  the  boy.  The  woman  never 
moved  or  spoke. 

The  boy  was  perhaps  fifteen  years  old  when  one  day  he 
said  to  the  young  man,  "You  and  I  are  cousins.  Your 
uncle  is  my  father  and  this  woman  sitting  here  is  my 
mother. ' ' 

The  young  man  asked,  "Why  does  she  never  speak V 

The  boy  didn't  know.  The  young  man  asked  the  woman 
different  questions  but  she  wouldn't  answer.  Then  he 
took  his  bow  and  shot  an  arrow  at  a  skin  of  bear's  oil 
which  hung  above  her  head.  The  arrow  cut  the  skin  and 
the  oil  ran  out  and  fell  on  to  the  woman's  head  and  face. 
She  was  very  angry,  but  she  didn't  speak. 

The  meat  in  the  house  was  game  that  the  uncle  brought. 
He  came  late  in  the  day,  after  his  nephew  had  gone  home. 
So  in  all  those  years  they  never  met  at  the  long  house. 
That  evening  when  the  uncle  came  and  found  the  skin 
broken  and  the  oil  spilt  over  the  woman's  head,  he  sus- 
pected that  his  nephew  had  been  there. 

When  he  reached  home,  he  asked,  "Have  you  been  at 
the  long  house?" 

"I  have,"  said  the  nephew.  "I  have  been  there  every 
day  for  many  years.  I  have  eaten  meat  there.  I  haven  *t 
eaten  fungus  for  a  long  time." 

"Did  you  break  the  skin  and  let  the  oil  out?" 

"I  did,"  said  the  nephew. 

"You  have  done  great  harm,"  said  the  uncle,  "That 
woman  is  full  of  witchcraft.    She  will  destroy  us." 

The  next  morning  the  old  man  started  off  as  usual. 
The  young  man  stayed  at  home,  he  was  angry.  He  raised 
the  cover  of  the  couch,  took  out  the  little  kettle,  put  water 
into  it  and  a  large  piece  of  chestnut.  When  the  water 
boiled,  he   began   to   strike  the  kettle,   and   say,   "Swell 


222  SENECA    MYTHS 

kettle!  Swell  kettle!"  The  kettle  came  up  as  high  as  the 
couch.  The  young  man  stood  on  the  couch,  when  the  kettle 
rose  higher  he  got  on  to  the  shelf,  when  it  was  as  high  as 
the  shelf,  he  went  out  of  the  smoke-hole  on  to  the  roof. 

He  enjoyed  the  increase  of  the  pudding,  thinking  how 
angry  his  uncle  would  be  when  he  came  home. 

When  the  old  man  came,  he  asked,  "What  have  you 
been  doing;  making  chestnut  pudding?" 

"That  is  an  old  habit  with  me.  I  have  been  eating 
chestnut  pudding  for  years." 

"You  have  destroyed  us  both,"  said  the  uncle,  who 
was  very  angry.  ' '  You  have  enraged  the  woman  and  now 
she  will  never  stop  till  she  kills  us." 

The  next  morning,  just  at  daybreak,  they  heard  a  ter- 
rible noise  off  in  the  direction  of  the  long  house.  Trees 
began  to  moan.  The  sound  grew  louder  and  louder,  then 
came  the  cracking  of  limbs  and  the  falling  of  trees.  An 
awful  storm  was  coming,  and  the  woman  was  in  the  middle 
of  the  storm.  She  swept  over  the  house,  tore  it  from  the 
ground,  caught  up  the  uncle  and  carried  him  away.  The 
nephew  had  hidden,  she  didn't  find  him. 

That  day  the  young  man  went  to  the  long  house,  as 
usual.  The  woman  was  sitting  there  silent  and  motionless, 
as  if  nothing  had  happened.  He  asked  the  boy  what  his 
mother  had  done  with  his  father. 

"I  don't  know  what  she  has  done  with  him,"  said  the 
boy.  ' '  She  went  off  with  him  and  came  back  without  him. 
To-morrow  she  will  come  for  you." 

The  young  man  went  home  to  make  ready  for  the 
woman's  coming.  He  had  a  mole  for  his  medicine;  he 
crept  into  the  mole  and  the  mole  went  deep  into  the  ground 
under  the  torn-down  house. 

In  the  morning  the  woman  came  with  terrible  fury, 
uprooting  all  the  trees  in  her  path,  but  she  couldn't  find 
the  young  man.  After  she  had  gone,  he  came  from  his 
hiding  place  and  went  to  the  long  house.  The  woman  sat 
there  as  silent  and  motionless  as  before. 

"Where  were  you  this  morning?"  asked  the  boy.  "My 
mother  couldn't  find  you." 

"I  was  right  there  under  the  house." 

When  he  went  home,  he  prepared  for  the  storm  and  at 


WHIRLWIND  AND  HER  HUSBAND  223 

daylight  the  next  morning  it  came.  He  was  in  the  mole 
and  the  mole  was  in  the  ground  and  the  woman  didn't  find 
him.  At  last  she  made  herself  into  a  whirlwind,  whirled 
around  and  around.  Then  swooping  down,  she  dug  a 
deep  hole  in  the  earth,  lifted  the  ground  and  went  to  the 
sky,  carrying  the  mole  along  in  the  dirt.  The  mole  fell 
and  the  young  man  was  killed.  The  woman  went  home 
satisfied. 

The  mole  breathed  into  the  young  man's  mouth  and  by 
putting  breath  in  and  drawing  it  out  brought  him  to  life, 
and  right  away  he  set  out  to  find  his  uncle.  He  went 
beyond  the  long  house,  traveled  as  fast  as  he  could  all 
day  and  all  night,  carrying  the  mole  with  him. 

The  next  morning  at  daybreak  the  woman  came  with  a 
terrible  storm.  The  young  man  went  into  the  mole  and 
under  the  ground  and  when  the  woman  couldn't  find  him 
she  went  back  to  the  long  house. 

The  young  man  traveled  a  second  day  and  night.  The 
next  morning  the  woman  came  again  with  a  terrible  storm. 
She  found  where  her  nephew  was  and  scooping  up  the 
earth  she  carried  him  far  into  the  sky.  The  mole  fell  to 
the  ground,  the  young  man  was  killed  and  the  woman  went 
home,  satisfied. 

The  mole  brought  the  young  man  to  life,  and,  putting 
the  mole  in  his  belt,  he  ran  on  as  fast  as  he  could.  That 
night  he  slept  deep  in  the  ground  between  two  great 
rocks  on  a  mountain.  At  daybreak  the  woman  came,  but 
she  couldn't  find  him.  That  day  the  young  man  traveled 
till  he  came  to  a  house  in  an  opening,  and  near  the  house, 
under  the  roots  of  a  great  elm,  he  found  his  uncle.  The 
tree  was  standing  on  his  breast.  The  old  man  was  only 
skin  and  bones,  but  as  soon  as  he  saw  his  nephew  he  begged 
for  a  smoke. 

"Poor  uncle,"  said  the  young  man,  "I'll  give  you  a 
smoke."  He  pushed  the  tree  over,  got  the  old  man  out 
and  gave  him  a  pipe  and  tobacco.  As  soon  as  he  had 
smoked,  he  was  well  and  strong. 

The  next  morning  the  woman  came  again.  By  watch- 
ing, the  nephew  had  discovered  that  she  came  in  a  narrow 
path  and  that  it  was  possible  to  get  away  from  her.  He 
told  his  uncle  to  run  toward  the  West  and  keep  out  of  the 


224  SENECA    MYTHS 

path,  then  he  went  into  the  mole  and  the  mole  went  under 
the  ground.  The  woman  became  a  whirlwind,  scooped  up 
the  ground  and  carried  the  mole  to  the  sky.  The  mole  fell 
and  the  young  man  was  killed,  but,  as  before,  the  mole 
brought  him  to  life.  He  followed  the  woman  to  the  long 
house  and  found  her  sitting  there  silent  and  motionless. 
He  shot  an  arrow  at  her  and  killed  her.  Then  he  gathered 
a  pile  of  dry  bark  and  wood,  poured  bear's  oil  over  it, 
put  the  body  on  the  pile  and  burned  it  up  and  throwing 
the  charred  bones  in  every  direction,  he  said  to  the  boy, 
"We  will  go  to  my  uncle." 

They  found  the  old  man  in  the  second  long  house  and 
they  stayed  there  for  a  time.  But  the  woman  came  to 
life,  and  suspecting  they  were  at  the  long  house  she  went 
there  in  a  terrible  rage. 

The  young  man  sent  his  uncle  and  the  boy  away.  He 
had  found  out  the  woman 's  habits  and  strength.  He  knew 
that,  after  a  certain  force  was  spent,  she  became  weak  and 
couldn  't  travel  fast.  While  she  was  a  whirlwind,  he  stayed 
out  of  her  path.  When  she  hadn't  found  him  and  her 
strength  was  used  up,  she  turned  to  go  home,  but  she  had 
to  travel  slowly.  She  could  no  longer  go  through  the  air. 
The  young  man  followed  her  and  killed  her  with  an  arrow, 
then  he  called  his  uncle  and  the  boy.  The  three  piled  up 
wood,  built  a  great  fire  and  burned  the  body  to  ashes,  then 
picking  up  the  bones  they  carried  them  to  the  long  house 
and  pounded  them  to  powder.  This  powder  the  young 
man  divided  into  three  parts  and  put  into  three  skin  bags 
and  tied  each  bag  up  tight.  One  bag  he  gave  to  his  uncle, 
one  he  gave  to  his  cousin,  and  the  third  he  put  into  his 
own  pouch,  saying,  "I  will  keep  it  here.  She  shall  never 
come  to  life  again.  When  we  are  out  in  a  storm  we  must 
always  stand  apart  so  that  the  force  in  these  powders 
cannot  unite.' ' 

They  went  to  their  first  home  and  soon  there  was  a 
house  and  a  supply  of  every  kind  of  dried  meat,  and  the 
three  lived  together  and  were  happy. 

Peter  White  said  that  the  Indians  used  to  think  that  all 
trees  came  from  the  pine  tree.  That  once  the  pine  trees 
got  to  disputing,   quarreling  over  which  was  the  tallest 


WHIRLWIND  AND  HER  HUSBAND  225 

and  which  was  the  strongest  and  which  had  the  most  power. 
One  tree  declared  that  he  had;  another  said  he  had.  At 
last  one  lofty  pine  got  so  angry  that  he  struck  his  nephew 
on  the  head  and  pressed  him  down  with  such  strength  that 
he  crowded  his  branches  together  and  spread  them  out. 
After  that  the  nephew  was  a  hemlock.  All  hemlocks  came 
from  this  pine  which  the  wrath  of  the  great  pine  had 
maimed  and  spread  out. 


THE  BIRD  MEDICINE 

A  SENECA  named  Bloody  Hand  had  great  love  for 
the  birds  of  the  air  that  ate  flesh  and  for  the  animals 
of  the  earth  that  ate  flesh.  When  he  killed  a  deer,  he  cut 
the  flesh  into  pieces  and  called  birds  to  eat  it,  or  he  gave 
it  to  the  wolves.  Sometimes  he  carried  home  a  small  piece, 
but  usually  he  gave  all  of  the  pieces  to  the  birds  and  beasts. 

The  Senecas  went  on  the  war-path  and  this  man  went 
with  them.  He  was  killed  and  scalped.  The  birds  of  the 
air  saw  him  and  they  held  a  council.  One  said,  "We  can 
bring  him  to  life  if  we  can  get  his  scalp.  The  man  who 
killed  him  has  hung  up  the  scalp  by  the  door  of  his  house. 
We  will  send  for  it." 

They  sent  Hawk.  Hawk's  bill  was  sharp  and  strong. 
He  twisted  the  scalp  from  the  place  where  it  was  tied 
and  carried  it  to  the  birds. 

One  of  the  birds  said,  "Now  we  will  make  medicine  and 
to  find  out  how  strong  it  is,  we'll  try  to  bring  that  tree 
to  life  that  is  lying  over  there  on  the  ground." 

In  this  bird  medicine  was  a  bit  of  the  flesh  of  each  of 
the  birds.1 

When  making  the  medicine,  the  birds  caused  a  corn 
stalk  to  come  up  out  of  the  ground.  They  broke  the  stalk 
and  in  it  was  blood.  They  put  some  of  the  blood  in  their 
medicine,  healed  the  stalk  and  it  disappeared. 

They  caused  a  squash  vine  to  come  out  of  the  ground 
and  right  away  there  were  squashes  on  the  vine,  they  used 
some  of  the  seeds  for  their  medicine,  and  the  vine  dis- 
appeared. 

When  the  medicine  was  ready,  part  of  the  birds  sat  on 
one  side  of  the  tree  and  part  on  the  other  side  and  they 
sang  their  medicine  song  and  sprinkled  medicine  on  the 
tree  and  the  ground. 

i  They  were  birds  of  the  ancient  time,  not  such  birds  as  live  now. 

226 


THE    BIRD    MEDICINE  227 

Above  the  clouds  is  a  great  bird  called  Skada'gea, 
In-the-Mist,  he  is  chief  of  all  birds ;  they  sent  the  head  man 
of  the  Ravens  to  tell  him  what  they  were  doing — this  is 
why  Ravens  always  sing  "Caw!  Caw!"  when  flying — The 
Eagle  is  a  chief  under  the  great  bird  above. 

When  the  birds  saw  that  the  tree  was  getting  green  and 
coming  to  life  the  leader  said,  "This  is  enough,  we  know 
how  our  medicine  will  act.  Now  we  must  appoint  some 
one  to  carry  it  into  our  friend's  body." 

They  chose  Chickadee.  Chickadee  drank  the  medicine 
then  went  into  the  man 's  mouth  and  down  into  his  stomach ; 
threw  the  medicine  out  and  came  back. 

The  other  birds  rubbed  the  man's  body  with  medicine, 
sat  around  him  and  sang.  They  sang  two  days  and  two 
nights  then  found  that  the  body  was  growing  warm. 

All  at  once  the  man,  who  had  been  dead,  felt  as  though 
he  had  been  wakened  from  sleep.  He  heard  singing  and 
he  listened.  He  understood  the  words  of  the  song.  He 
moved  a  little ;  the  birds  drew  back,  but  kept  singing. 

The  chief  of  the  birds  said  to  the  man,  ' '  We  have  brought 
you  to  life,  now  we  will  give  you  some  of  our  medicine.  If 
any  of  your  people  are  wounded  by  an  arrow  or  bruised 
by  a  fall  use  the  medicine  and  right  away  they  will  be  well. 
When  you  use  it,  burn  tobacco  and  think  of  us." 

"When  you  think  of  us  and  come  together  and  burn 
tobacco  you  will  renew  and  strengthen  the  medicine.  When 
the  tobacco  is  burning  call  out,  'Let  all  the  beasts  and 
birds  on  earth  smell  this  tobacco. '  " 

Bloody  Hand  went  home,  selected  a  few  men  and  gave 
to  each  one  of  them  a  little  of  the  bird  medicine,  taught 
them  how  to  use  it  and  how  to  sing  the  songs.  He  said, 
"You  must  never  laugh  at  these  songs.  If  you  laugh  at 
them,  bad  luck  will  come  to  you.  No  one  may  sing  the 
songs  unless  he  has  the  medicine;  the  songs  would  be 
poison  (otgon)  for  him." 

Solomon  O'Bail,  an  old  Indian  on  the  Cattaraugus  Res- 
ervation, had,  in  1883,  about  a  tablespoonful  of  this  bird 
medicine,  in  the  form  of  dust.  When  using  it,  he  put  a 
particle  at  the  east  side  of  a  cup,  another  particle  on  the 
west  side  and  another  on  the  side  towards  the  sick  man's 


228  SENECA    MYTHS 

lips,  then  poured  water  into  the  cup.  If  all  the  dust 
remained  on  top  of  the  water,  the  sick  man  would  live;  if 
it  sank  to  the  bottom  he  would  die.  If  it  mixed  with  the 
water  and  dissolved,  he  would  recover.  If  it  dissolved, 
the  patient  drank  the  liquid. 

The  medicine  is  so  powerful  that  the  sick  man  after 
drinking  it  can  eat  only  pure  white  food,  such  as  white 
beans  and  white  corn;  the  odor  of  meat  cooking  is  bad 
for  him.  When  a  man  is  sick,  the  family  hang  a  blanket 
in  front  of  him  so  they  will  have  time  to  find  where  a 
caller  has  been.  For  if  he  has  stopped  on  the  way  to  look 
at  a  dead  person,  the  sick  man  will  die  at  once. 

The  beginning  of  the  bird  song  is,  "Now  this  is  the 
medicine  to  take.  Now  this  is  the  medicine  to  take." 
When  the  medicine  is  swallowed  the  song  says,  "Now  it 
begins  to  work.  Now  it  begins  to  work;  to  work  all  over 
his  body." 

The  man  who  gives  the  medicine  sings  and  dances,  say- 
ing, "They  (the  Spirits)  have  come  and  cured  the  sick 
man,  and  I  let  them  go  with  thanks.  I  have  got  to  the 
field,  I  have  got  to  the  mountain,  I  have  got  to  the  falls; 
I  have  got  beyond  the  clouds.  Now  we  are  together  where 
the  tobacco  is. ' ' 

When  a  sick  man  wants  to  take  the  bird  medicine,  he 
must  give  a  handful  of  Indian  tobacco  to  the  man  who 
has  it.  That  man  will  put  a  bit  of  the  tobacco  in  the  fire 
and  say  to  the  medicine  as  he  holds  it  in  his  hand,  ' '  Smell 
of  the  tobacco  for  I  am  going  to  use  you."  Then  taking 
a  cup  he  goes  to  running  water,  gives  some  of  the  water 
to  the  stream,  pronounces  the  sick  man 's  name,  and  dipping 
the  cup  down  stream,  takes  what  water  it  gets,  this  water 
he  uses  to  try  the  medicine  in. 


HAGOWANE  AND  HIS  TEN  SONS 


Characters 


Hongak Wild  Geese 

Hagowane 

Othagwedda Flint 

OnWEnAUNT Blue  Snake 

Dagwanoedyent  Whirlwind 

Djiaye11 Spider 

Gasyondetha Meteor 

Tsodi'qgwado11 Snake 

Dewaqsodthwus  Flea 

Hanowa Turtle 

Do'nyonda Eagle 

Hadia'des   Black-snake 


AT  Hetgedgastende  lived  a  man  of  great  power  named 
Hagowane.  He  belonged  to  the  Eagle  family.  One 
day  this  man  started  off  to  hunt.  Taking  his  canoe  he 
sailed  across  the  lake  in  front  of  his  house  and  leaving 
the  canoe  traveled  for  five  days  toward  the  West,  then  he 
collected  wood  and  made  a  camp.  The  first  day  he  hunted, 
he  killed  five  bears  and  six  deer,  brought  them  to  camp 
and  said  to  himself,  "I  have  had  bad  luck  to-day." 

The  second  day  he  killed  ten  bears  and  twelve  deer  and 
brought  them  to  camp.  That  night  he  skinned  and  roasted 
the  fifteen  bears  and  eighteen  deer  and  finished  the  work 
before  daylight. 

The  next  day  he  went  for  more  game.    He  killed  twenty- 

229 


230  SENECA    MYTHS 

four  deer  and  twenty  bears,  brought  them  to  camp,  skinned 
and  roasted  them,  finishing  exactly  at  midnight.  Then  he 
said  to  himself,  "I  have  enough  now." 

Putting  the  meat  into  one  pile  he  tied  it  up  with  bark 
strings  and  shook  it,  saying,  "I  want  you  to  be  small." 
It  shrank  to  a  little  package  that  he  hung  to  his  belt.  In 
the  same  way,  he  made  the  skins  into  a  small  package  that 
he  hung  to  his  belt.    Then  he  set  out  for  home. 

When  Hagowane  came  to  the  lake  he  looked  everywhere 
for  his  canoe,  but  couldn't  find  it.  He  saw  a  man  coming 
toward  him. 

When  they  met,  the  man  asked,  ' '  What  have  you  lost  ? ' ' 

"I  have  lost  my  ca'noe,"  answered  Hagowane. 

"The  man  who  lives  on  that  island  over  there  was  here 
yesterday.    He  took  your  canoe." 

"Who  is  the  man?" 

1 '  He  is  one  of  the  Turtle  family. ' ' 

"How  can  I  get  my  canoe?" 

"Give  me  what  meat  you  have  and  I  will  get  it  for  you." 

"What  am  I  to  eat  if  I  do  that?" 

"Well,  I  will  do  better.  I  will  bring  the  canoe  if  you 
will  take  your  meat  home,  keep  half  and  put  the  other  half 
outside  your  house  for  me." 

"Very  well,"  answered  Hagowane. 

The  man  himself  had  taken  the  canoe  to  the  island  and 
now  he  brought  it  back,  "That  man  on  the  island,"  said 
he,  "is  an  ugly  fellow;  he  nearly  killed  me." 

When  Hagowane  got  home,  he  drew  the  canoe  to  a  place 
of  safety  among  the  rocks.  Then  he  took  the  packages  of 
meat  from  his  belt,  untied  and  threw  them  down.  That 
minute  they  regained  their  natural  size.  He  piled  the 
meat  up  inside  of  his  house  and  tanned  the  skins,  but  he 
didn't  pay  Handzoyas  for  bringing  back  the  canoe. 

After  a  time  a  woman  of  the  Wild  Goose  family  came 
to  Hagowane  's  house  bringing  a  basket  of  bread.  She 
said,  "My  mother  sent  me  to  ask  you  to  take  me  for  a 
wife." 

The  man  hung  his  head  a  while,  thinking.  At  last  he 
said  to  himself,  "I  suppose  nothing  bad  will  come  of  this." 
Then  he  looked  at  the  girl,  and  said,  "I  am  willing." 

The  girl  was  glad.    She  placed  the  marriage  bread  be- 


HAGOWANE  AND  HIS  TEN  SONS    231 

fore  him.     He  ate  some  of  it,  and  said,  "I  am  thankful. 
I  have  not  tasted  of  bread  for  many  years." 

The  two  lived  happily.  Each  year  for  ten  years  a  son 
was  born  to  them. 

Then  one  morning  when  Hagowane  was  sitting  on  a 
rock  outside  the  house,  he  said  to  himself,  "I  am  tired  of 
staying  here,  I  am  going  away." 

He  sat  in  his  canoe  and  rowed  across  the  lake.  After 
a  time  his  wife  missed  him.  She  looked  everywhere,  but 
could  get  no  trace  of  him. 

When  the  eldest  boy  was  almost  a  young  man,  he  said 
to  his  mother,  "I  am  going  to  search  for  my  father  till 
I  find  out  where  he  is." 

"You  will  get  lost  on  the  way,"  said  his  mother. 

"Oh,  no,  I  will  not,"  replied  he. 

After  a  time  the  mother  gave  her  consent  and  the  boy 
set  out  traveling  always  toward  the  North.  While  crossing 
a  rocky  place,  he  came  upon  a  trail.  "These  footprints 
look  like  my  father's,"  thought  he,  and  he  followed  them. 
Soon  he  came  to  a  cross  trail,  "I  wonder  where  this  comes 
from  and  where  it  goes,"  thought  he.  "When  I  come 
back,  I  will  find  out." 

Not  far  from  the  cross  trail,  the  boy  saw  a  house  and  as 
the  trail  he  was  following  entered  it,  he  went  in  and  looking 
around  saw  one  old  man  in  the  south-east  corner,  another 
in  the  south-west,  a  third  in  the  north-west  and  a  fourth 
in  the  north-east  corner  and  each  one  was  smoking. 

The  first  old  man  raised  his  head,  looked  at  the  boy  and 
asked,  "Well,  my  grandson,  what  are  you  doing  here? 
If  you  want  to  see  your  father  come  to  me,  I  will  show 
him  to  you." 

The  boy  went  to  him,  the  old  man  seized  him  by  the 
hair,  bent  his  head  over  a  bark  bowl  and  cut  it  off. 

"  I  am  glad  of  young  game, ' '  said  he,  ' '  It  must  be  worth 
eating,  it  is  just  the  right  age,"  and  he  began  to  cut  up 
the  body. 

At  home  they  waited  long  for  tidings  from  the  eldest 
brother.  When  none  came,  the  second  son  said,  "I  must 
go  and  find  my  brother." 

"Oh,  my  son,"  said  the  mother,  "do  not  go,  some  mis- 
fortune has  befallen  your  brother." 


232  SENECA    MYTHS 

"I  must  go,"  answered  the  boy.  "I  cannot  help  going. 
I  want  to  find  my  father  and  my  brother/'  and  he  made 
ready  for  the  journey.  He  put  on  a  shirt,  leggings  and 
moccasins  of  meteor  skin  and  took  bow  and  arrows.  The 
mother  cried  but  she  couldn't  prevent  his  going. 

He  went  North,  as  his  brother  had  done,  followed  the 
same  trail  till  he  came  to  the  cross  trail  and  went  into  the 
house  where  the  four  old  men  were  sitting. 

The  old  man  in  the  north-west  corner  called  out,  "My 
grandson,  do  you  want  to  see  your  father?     Come  here." 

The  boy  went  and  looking  into  a  bowl  half  full  of  water 
saw  the  face  of  his  father  and  the  face  of  his  brother. 
Then  the  old  man  seized  him  by  the  hair  and  cut  off  his 
head. 

Nine  of  the  brothers  went,  one  after  another,  and  all 
were  killed  by  the  four  old  men  in  the  house  near  the 
cross  trail.  Then  Yellow  Flint,  the  tenth  and  youngest 
son,  though  he  was  still  small  and  young,  said  to  his 
mother,  "I  must  follow  my  brothers." 

"Oh,  my  son,"  said  the  mother,  "you  cannot  go.  There 
are  four  old  men  living  near  the  trail.  They  are  called 
Hadia'des.    They  have  great  power. ' ' 

"But  I  must  go.  I  want  to  find  my  father  and  my 
brothers. ' ' 

"You  will  never  see  them  again,  they  are  dead." 

"Can't  I  kill  those  old  men?" 

1 '  Maybe  you  can,  if  I  give  you  my  power. ' ' 

"Give  it  to  me.    I  must  kill  them." 

"I  will  go  and  bring  it,"  said  the  mother. 

She  went  West  to  a  rough  and  rocky  place  and  came  back 
with  a  slate  rock  mannikin  about  half  the  length  of  her 
little  finger. 

"Here,"  said  she,  "put  this  mannikin  between  your 
belt  and  your  body  and  you  can  do  what  you  like;  you 
can  change  yourself  to  whatever  form  you  please." 

The  boy  put  the  mannikin  between  his  belt  and  his  body, 
took  a  bow  made  of  hickory  and  arrows  of  red  willow 
pointed  with  wasp  stings,  and  went  toward  the  North,  as 
his  brothers  had.  He  found  a  fresh  trail,  and  thought, 
"Maybe  this  is  my  father's  trail."  After  a  while  he 
came  to  the  cross  trail  running  from  east  to  west.     He 


HAGOWANE  AND  HIS  TEN  SONS     233 

stood  still  and  thought,  "  Where  does  this  trail  come  from 
and  where  does  it  go  ?    I  will  find  out. ' ' 

He  went  toward  the  East  till  he  came  to  a  wide  open- 
ing and  saw  a  cloud  of  dust  moving  toward  him.  "I  must 
hurry  back,"  said  he  to  himself,  "or  something  may 
happen  to  me." 

When  he  turned,  the  great  cloud  approached  quickly. 
Soon  it  touched  him  and  he  grew  so  weak  that  he  fell  to 
the  ground.  Looking  up  he  saw  a  long-legged  person 
rushing  on.  He  sprang  to  his  feet,  climbed  a  tree  and 
shot  off  a  wasp  sting-pointed  arrow.  The  arrow  hit  the 
man  in  the  cloud  and  killed  him.  The  long-legged  stranger 
was  Djiaye11  (Spider). 

The  boy  went  East  again,  another  cloud  of  dust  rushed 
toward  him,  but  he  turned  aside.  After  the  cloud  passed, 
he  ran  on  till  he  came  to  the  place  where  the  trails  crossed 
and  going  northward  from  there  came  to  the  house  where 
the  four  old  men  sat  smoking.  After  standing  outside 
a  while,  he  found  a  crack  and  looking  in  saw  the  brothers. 

"I  wonder  if  those  are  the  men  that  my  mother  told  me 
about,"  thought  he,  "I  will  kill  them  if  I  can,  if  I  can't 
I  will  burn  down  their  house." 

He  took  the  mannikin  from  his  belt  and  placed  it  on  his 
hand.  It  stood  up  and  he  said  to  it,  "I  am  going  to  ask 
you  a  question.  I  want  to  kill  those  old  men,  how  am  I 
to  do  it?" 

The  mannikin  said,  "You  must  climb  that  high  rock 
over  there  and  call  out,  'I,  Othagwedda,  am  on  this  high 
rock ! '  You  will  find  sharp  flint  stones  up  there.  Take  a 
handful  of  them  and  throwing  them  toward  the  house  say, 
'I  want  it  to  be  hot.'  " 

The  boy  put  the  mannikin  in  his  belt  and  listened  to 
the  conversation  of  the  old  men. 

One  said,  "I  think  OTHAGWEnDA  is  around  here." 

"Oh,"  replied  the  man  in  the  south-east  corner.  "You 
said  that  all  the  family  were  dead." 

"I  think  a  little  boy  is  left,"  said  the  old  man  in  the 
south-west  corner. 

"I  think  they  are  all  dead  except  the  old  woman,"  said 
the  man  in  the  north-east  corner. 

"Well,"   said  the   old  man   in  the  north-west   corner, 


234  SENECA    MYTHS 

"It  seems  to  me  that  one  is  lurking  around  here  some- 
where. ' ' 

"If  you  think  so,  hunt  for  him,"  said  the  old  man  in 
the  south-west. 

Othagwedda  sprang  on  to  the  house  and  sat  with  his 
feet  in  the  smoke-hole. 

The  old  man  looked  all  around,  but  could  find  no  one. 

The  boy  drew  his  bow  and  shot  through  the  smoke-hole, 
shot  each  one  of  the  brothers.  The  arrows  went  deep  into 
their  bodies,  but  the  men  were  not  hurt.  They  didn't 
know  that  they  had  been  hit. 

The  boy  sprang  from  the  house  and  landed  far  away, 
then  he  climbed  the  rock  and  called  out,  "I,  Othagweqda, 
am  on  this  high  rock ! ' '  He  heard  one  of  the  brothers  say, 
"My-  back  is  sore.  I  feel  as  though  my  bones  were 
broken. '  • 

The  boy  picked  up  a  handful  of  sharp  flint  stones  and 
threw  them  at  the  house,  saying,  "I  want  you  to  be  red 
hot  and  burn  up  those  old  men  and  their  house. " 

The  flints  went  straight  to  the  house ;  a  few  pieces  went 
beyond.  Those  that  struck  the  house  set  it  on  fire;  those 
that  fell  beyond  burned  the  forest ;  everything  was  blazing 
in  and  around  the  place.  Then  the  boy  threw  a  second 
handful  of  flints,  saying,  ' '  I  want  you  to  cut  off  the  heads 
of  those  old  men."  The  flint  struck  each  man's  neck  in 
such  a  way  that  his  head  dropped  off. 

The  boy  stood  on  the  rock  and  watched  the  fire  till  only 
coals  remained.  All  at  once  there  was  an  explosion  and 
Whirlwind,  a  great  head,  flew  towards  him,  knocked  him 
off  of  the  rock  and  rising  high  in  the  air  went  straight 
West. 

The  boy  sprang  to  his  feet  and  looking  up  saw  Whirl- 
wind going  higher  and  higher.  Soon  he  heard  a  crash  as 
Whirlwind  struck  the  Blue,  then  the  head  came  down 
again.  When  it  reached  the  ground,  Othagwedda  ran 
forward  quickly  and  crushed  it  with  a  white  flint  stone. 

The  boy  searched  through  the  coals,  with  a  pointed  stick. 
At  the  north-west  corner  of  the  coals  of  the  house  he  came 
upon  a  trail  running  towards  the  north-west,  and  he  fol- 
lowed it  till  he  came  to  an  opening.  A  cloud  of  dust 
rushed  toward  him.     He  ran  into  the  forest  and  waited. 


HAGOWANE  AND  HIS  TEN  SONS     235 

The  cloud  stopped  at  the  edge  of  the  forest,  and  from  it 
came  an  enormous  Spider. 

"Oh,"  said  the  Spider,  "I  thought  somebody  was  on 
the  trail.  My  master  is  fooling  me.  I  thought  he  had 
found  another  one  of  the  Goose  family." 

Spider  turned  back,  running  as  fast  as  he  could.  The 
boy  followed  till  Spider  reached  a  house  which  was  sunken 
in  the  ground.  The  boy  listened  outside  and  soon  he 
heard  some  one  crying.  He  thought,  "That  sounds  like 
my  father's  voice;  he  must  be  in  there." 

He  took  out  the  mannikin,  placed  it  on  his  hand.  It 
came  to  life,  stood  up,  and  the  boy  asked,  "How  am  I  to 
kill  the  Spider  that  lives  in  this  house?" 

"Go  to  a  tree  just  west  of  here,"  said  the  mannikin, 
"Climb  to  the  top  of  it,  and  call  out,  'I  am  Othagwedda, 
and  I  am  more  powerful  than  anything  under  the  Blue,  I 
can  kill  any  kind  of  game  on  earth.'  When  you  have 
spoken  these  words,  cut  a  limb  from  the  tree,  throw  it 
towards  the  house  and  tell  it  to  split  open  Spider's  heart; 
the  heart  is  in  the  ground  under  the  house.  When  Spider 
is  dead,  rescue  your  father  and  burn  the  house." 

The  boy  did  as  the  mannikin  said.  He  cut  off  a  limb  of 
the  tree,  spat  on  it,  and  straightway  it  was  alive  and  he 
threw  it  towards  the  house,  saying,  "Split  Spider's  heart 
in  two. ' ' 

The  limb  went  under  the  house  to  where  the  heart  was 
hidden.  That  instant  Spider  stretched  out  and  died. 
The  boy  slipped  down  from  the  tree  and  went  to  the  house. 
Spider  lay  dead  in  the  middle  of  the  room.  Under  the 
couch  lay  a  man  who  seemed  to  be  almost  dead.  Otha- 
GWEnDA  raised  the  couch  and  found  his  father.  The  flesh 
was  gone  from  his  legs  and  arms  and  he  was  barely  alive. 

"My  father,"  said  the  boy,  "You  must  go  home." 

"My  son,"  said  Hagowane,  "You  will  die  if  you  stay 
here." 

"There  is  no  danger  now,"  answered  the  boy. 

Then  he  put  the  mannikin  on  his  hand  and  asked,  "What 
shall  I  do  with  my  father?" 

The  mannikin  answered,  "Rub  saliva  over  him  and  flesh 
will  come  on  his  bones." 


236  SENECA    MYTHS 

The  boy  did  this  and  his  father  was  as  strong  and  well 
as  ever. 

"Now,"  said  he,  "I  am  HoDionSKon  (the  Trickster).  I 
have  heard  old  people  say  that  when  he  dies  he  comes  to 
life  again.    We  will  go  home." 

"You  can  go,"  said  Othagwedda,  "but  I  must  find  my 
brothers. ' ' 

When  Hagowane  reached  home,  his  wife  looked  at  him 
and  cried,  "Oh,  my  dear  son,  I  wish  you  were  here.  I 
have  seen  something  strange." 

"Why  do  you  talk  in  that  way?"  asked  Hagowane. 
"Why  do  you  cry?    Are  you  sorry  that  I  have  come?" 

"You  are  not  alive." 

"Yes,  I  am." 

"No,  you  are  not."  And  thinking  he  was  a  ghost  she 
drove  him  on  to  the  rocks,  and  there  he  had  to  stay. 

After  his  father  had  gone,  the  boy  burned  Spider 's  house. 
When  only  coals  were  left,  something  shot  up  and  flew  west- 
ward.   It  alighted  on  the  plain  and  became  a  Sandpiper. 

"This  is  the  way  I  do,  this  is  why  I  say  that  I  can  kill 
anybody,"  cried  the  boy,  and  going  around  the  edge  of 
the  opening  on  the  eastern  side  he  found  a  broad  trail 
and  followed  it  till  he  came  to  a  cross  trail.  He  stood  at 
the  four  corners  of  the  two  trails,  one  going  North  and 
South,  the  other  East  and  West,  put  the  mannikin  on  his 
hand,  and  said,  "I  want  you  to  tell  me  what  I  am  to 
do." 

"At  the  foot  of  that  tree  over  there  you  will  find  a 
bark  bowl;  beyond  the  tree  is  a  medicine  spring;  on  the 
other  side  of  the  spring  a  plant  is  growing.  Put  the 
plant  in  the  bowl  and  fill  the  bowl  with  water  from  the 
spring.  Here,  where  the  trail  crosses,  dig  a  hole  and  put 
the  bowl  into  it  with  the  plant  standing  in  the  water. 
Then  stay  close  by  and  see  what  will  happen." 

The  boy  put  the  mannikin  away  and  went  to  the  pine 
tree  that  grew  in  the  north-west,  between  the  northern  and 
western  trails.  He  found  the  spring  and  farther  on  a 
plant  with  bright  red  blossoms.  He  did  as  the  mannikin 
had  told  him  to,  then  put  the  bowl  in  the  ground  at  the 
crossing  of  the  trails  and  standing  aside  watched  and 
listened. 


HAGOWANE  AND  HIS  TEN  SONS    237 

Soon  he  heard  a  noise  in  the  forest  like  a  heavy  wind 
comino-  from  the  North.  Nearer  and  nearer  it  came,  with 
a  terrible  cloud  of  dust,  and  nothing  could  be  seen  till  the 
cloud  stopped  at  the  crossing.  Then,  in  the  middle  ot  it, 
the  boy  saw  the  skeleton  of  Blue  Lizard.  The  skeleton 
walked  up  to  the  plant  and  ate  one  of  its  red  blossoms. 
Though  the  skeleton  had  no  place  to  hide  the  blossom,  it 
vanished.  The  boy  wondered  greatly.  "It  is  nothing  but 
bones,"  thought  he,  "Where  does  food  go?" 

The  skeleton  grew  sick.  It  jumped  around  till  arms, 
legs,  head  and  ribs  fell  apart. 

OTHAGWEnDA  laughed,  but  just  then  he  heard  the  noise 
of  a  heavy  wind  and  saw  it  coming  from  the  South,  with 
a  °reat  cloud  of  dust.  The  cloud  stopped  at  the  crossing 
and  the  boy  saw  the  skeleton  of  Snake.  It  went  to  the 
bowl  and  ate  a  blossom.  That  minute  it  began  to  shake 
and  soon  it  fell  to  pieces,  became  a  pile  of  bones.  Then 
a  terrible  wind  came  from  the  Bast  and  stopped  at  the 
crossing.  In  the  middle  of  the  cloud  of  dust  was  the 
skeleton  of  Nyagwaihe,  the  Ancient  of  Bears.  It  ate  a 
blossom  and  then  began  to  tremble  and  to  disjoint;  soon  it 
was  only  a  pile  of  bones.  From  the  West  came  the  skeleton 
of  the  Ancient  of  Winged  Snakes.  When  it  had  turned 
to  bones  the  boy  put  the  mannikin  on  his  hand,  and  asked, 
"Is  it  finished?" 

"It  is,"  said  the  mannikin.  "All  the  trails  are  clear. 
If  you  go  to  the  end  of  the  southern  trail  you  will  find 
three  of  your  brothers." 

When  the  boy  came  to  the  end  of  the  southern  trail,  he 
couldn't  see  anything,  but  after  looking  around  a  while, 
he  found  a  rock  with  an  opening  in  it.  He  went  to  the 
opening  and  down  into  the  ground.  It  was  dark  there 
and  he  thought,  "Maybe  there  are  other  skeletons  here, 
but  I  must  go  on." 

At  last  he  came  to  a  place  where  there  was  no  fire  but 
a  plenty  of  light,  and  just  beyond  he  found  three  of  his 
brothers.  The  eldest  called  out,  "Oh,  my  brother,  you 
must  hurry  away,  the  skeleton  will  come  soon." 

"I  will  kill  it,"  said  the  boy. 

"My  brother,  if  you  stay  here,  you  will  not  live." 

"I  have  come  to  take  you  away,"  said  OTHAGWifDA. 


238  SENECA    MYTHS 

"We  cannot  walk,"  answered  the  three.  "The  skeleton 
has  eaten  our  flesh." 

The  boy  looked  at  his  brothers  and  saw  that  their  legs 
and  arms  were  simply  bones.  He  rubbed  the  bones  with 
saliva  and  they  were  covered  with  flesh. 

"You  must  go  home,"  said  Othagwe^a.  "I  am  going 
for  my  other  brothers." 

The  three  went  home.  When  their  mother  saw  them, 
she  cried  out,  and,  thinking  them  ghosts,  seized  a  club  and 
drove  them  away.  They  found  their  father  and  sat  on  the 
rock  with  him. 

The  boy  went  back  to  the  crossing  and  followed  the 
eastern  trail  till  he  came  to  the  end  of  it.  At  first  he 
didn't  see  anything  and  he  wondered  where  the  Ancient 
of  Bears  came  from.  Then  he  found  an  opening  in  the 
ground  and  went  down  into  it.  "There  must  be  other 
skeletons  here,"  thought  he,  "but  I  must  go  on." 

Soon  he  came  to  a  place  where  there  was  a  bright  light 
from  rotten  wood  which  was  packed  up  there,  and  farther 
on  he  found  three  of  his  brothers.  All  their  flesh  had 
been  eaten  and  they  were  too  weak  to  move;  he  brought 
flesh  to  their  bones  and  sent  them  home.  The  mother  drove 
them  away  as  she  had  their  father  and  brothers. 

Othagwedda  went  back  to  the  crossing  and  followed  the 
northern  trail  till  he  came  to  a  small  opening.  While  he 
was  looking  around,  a  whirlwind  came  upon  him  and  he 
ran  to  the  shelter  of  a  maple  tree  that  stood  near  by.  Soon 
he  heard  a  heavy  blow  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  tree. 
He  looked  and  saw  an  Onwi  (Winged-snake),  lying  dead 
at  the  foot  of  the  tree.  Coming  in  the  whirlwind,  it  had 
struck  the  tree  and  been  killed. 

The  boy  went  to  the  edge  of  the  opening  but  right  away 
he  heard  a  second  whirlwind  coming.  "I  shall  die  this 
time,."  thought  he,  for  he  saw  that  a  great  number  of 
winged-snakes  were  in  the  whirlwind.  He  hid  behind  the 
tree  and  the  whirlwind  rushed  by,  then  he  ran  to  the  other 
side  of  the  opening. 

The  boy  put  the  mannikin  on  his  hand;  it  stood  up, 
alive,  and  he  asked,  "What  can  I  do  with  the  snakes  that 
are  chasing  me?" 

"You  must  make  a  fire  across  the  trail." 


HAGOWANE  AND  HIS  TEN  SONS     239 

He  gathered  boughs  and  sticks,  made  a  large,  long 
pile,  set  fire  to  the  west  end  of  it,  and  said  to  the  wind, 
"My  grandfather,  blow  gently  on  the  west  end  of  this 
pile." 

His  grandfather  heard  him  and  soon  there  was  a  mighty 
fire.  When  it  was  burning  fiercely  the  boy  said,  "Grand- 
father, let  the  breeze  die  down."  Straightway  it  stopped 
blowing.  When  the  whirlwind  of  snakes  came  again,  the 
snakes  were  swept  into  the  fire  and  every  one  of  them 
perished. 

Free  of  the  snakes,  the  boy  hurried  along  the  northern 
trail  till  he  saw  a  whirlwind  going  toward  the  north-east, 
then  he  took  out  the  mannikin  and  asked,  "Which  way 
must  I  go?" 

"North,"  answered  the  mannikin. 

As  the  boy  traveled  along  he  saw  a  trail  going  toward 
the  north-west,  but  he  went  straight  ahead.  When  he  came 
to  the  end  of  the  trail  he  found  an  opening  in  the  ground 
near  a  birch  tree.  He  went  into  the  opening  and  soon 
came  to  a  place  where  an  old  man  sat  smoking.  "What 
can  that  old  man  be  doing?"  thought  he. 

The  old  man  straightened  up,  and  said,  "I  am  weak 
this  morning.  It  seems  to  me  that  somebody  is  around 
here." 

He  raised  his  head  and  looked  around  and  as  he  looked 
his  eyes  seemed  to  project  from  his  head. 

He  saw  Othagwedda,  and  said, ' '  My  nephew,  I  am  glad 
that  you  have  come.    I  will  find  out  what  luck  you  have." 

He  took  a  rattle  made  of  a  Dagwanoe^ent  and  shook 
it,  saying,  "  Sdwa,  Sawa!" 

1 '  Stop, ' '  said  the  boy.    - '  I  will  try  your  luck  first. ' ' 

"No,  my  nephew,  I  will  try  first,"  said  the  old  man 
whose  name  was  Dewaqsodthwus  (Flea).  They  disputed 
till  they  came  to  blows.  The  old  man  threw  down  his  rattle 
and  struck  at  the  boy  and  his  own  arm  fell  off.  He  struck 
with  the  other  hand  and  that  arm  fell  off.  Then  he  kicked 
at  him  with  one  leg  and  that  fell  off;  with  the  other  and 
that  dropped.  The  old  man  was  now  only  head  and  body. 
The  arms  and  legs  tried  to  get  back  to  their  places  on  the 
body,  but  the  boy  pushed  them  away  and  shot  an  arrow 
through  the  old  man.    The  arrow  took  root  and  became  a 


240  SENECA    MYTHS 

small  tree.  Flea  tried  to  bite  the  boy  but  as  he  made  the 
attempt  his  head  flew  off. 

The  boy  pounded  the  body,  jumped  and  danced  around 
it,  and  said,  ' '  Oh,  my  uncle  is  in  pieces  now ! ' ' 

In  the  old  man's  house  he  found  the  last  three  of  his 
brothers,  weak  and  wretched  as  the  others  had  been.  He 
cured  them  and  sent  them  home.  The  mother  drove  them 
from  the  house  and  they  sat  down  on  the  rock  with  their 
father  and  brothers. 

After  his  brothers  had  gone  Othagwedda  took  out  the 
mannikin  and  asked,  "Is  there  anything  on  the  north-east 
trail?" 

"You  will  rescue  people  if  you  go  there,"  answered  the 
mannikin. 

"Is  there  anything  bad  on  the  north-west  trail?" 

"There  is." 

At  the  end  of  the  north-west  trail,  the  boy  found  a  house 
without  a  door.  "How  can  I  get  into  this  house,"  thought 
he.  Looking  through  a  crack  he  saw  an  old  woman  of  the 
Blue  Snake  people;  she  was  singing  and  the  song  said, 
"OTHAGWEnDA  is  coming.    OTHAGWEnDA  is  coming ! " 

"She  knows  that  I  am  here,"  thought  the  boy. 

Presently  she  said,  "I  will  go  out  and  play  a  while." 

The  boy  didn't  see  how  the  woman  got  out  of  the  house, 
but  all  at  once  he  saw  her  going  along  the  trail  that  ran 
toward  the  West;  he  followed  her.  She  went  into  a  small 
lake  and  down  deep  in  the  water.  Then  he  saw  a  tail 
come  to  the  surface  and  begin  to  move  around  in  a  circle. 
On  the  tail  were  two  little  things  like  fins.  They  rubbed 
against  each  other  and  made  beautiful  music.  In  the  water 
the  old  woman  was  a  fish.  After  a  while  she  came  partly 
out  of  the  water  but  seeing  the  boy  she  drew  back,  and 
said,  "My  grandson,  don't  kill  me.  I  have  never  harmed 
any  of  your  people." 

i  i  I  will  spare  you  if  you  will  give  me  something  that  will 
be  useful  to  me." 

"I  will  give  you  a  fin.    Keep  it  to  find  your  luck  with." 

"How  can  I  use  it?" 

"When  you  lie  down,  put  it  under  your  head.  You  will 
have  a  dream  and  the  dream  will  tell  you  what  you  want  to 
know," 


HAGOWANE  AND  HIS  TEN  SONS     241 

The  boy  went  home  with  the  old  woman  and  looking 
around  saw  an  opening  in  the  ground  and  in  it  many- 
people  almost  dead.  He  got  them  out,  rubbed  them  with 
saliva,  healed  them  and  sent  each  man  to  his  own  home. 
When  all  had  gone,  he  asked  the  old  woman  why  she  had 
captured  these  people  and  shut  them  up. 

"I  did  not  shut  them  up,"  said  the  woman.  "My  hus- 
band is  a  man-eater.  He  brought  them  here.  He  lives 
on  another  trail.  His  name  is  Dewaqsodthwus  (The 
Weeper— Flea)." 

"Was  that  man  your  husband?    I  have  killed  him." 

"I  am  glad,"  said  the  woman.  "Your  people  are  safe 
now,  for  you  have  destroyed  their  greatest  enemy." 

Othagwedda  traveled  on  the  north-east  trail  till  he  came 
to  a  house  where  he  heard  singing.  The  song  said,  "The 
youngest  son  of  the  Hongak  (Goose)  woman  is  going 
everywhere  in  the  world.    We  wish  he  would  come  to  us." 

The  song  stopped  and  the  woman  said,  "I  feel  badly. 
Let  us  go  and  throw  rocks."  They  went  to  a  place  where 
there  were  white  flint  rocks  as  large  as  a  house.  The 
woman  picked  up  one  of  the  rocks  and  threw  it  into  the 
air.  It  came  down  on  her  head,  but  didn't  hurt  her. 
Then  she  threw  it  to  the  man,  who  caught  it  and  threw 
it  back. 

When  tired  of  playing  they  went  to  the  house.  The 
man  said, ' '  I  feel  as  though  some  one  were  here. ' '  Looking 
around  he  saw  the  boy,  and  he  asked,  "My  grandson, 
what  are  you  doing  here?" 

"I  have  come  to  visit  you." 

"My  grandson,"  said  the  woman,  "I  am  glad  you  have 
come,  we  have  been  waiting  for  you.  You  have  killed  the 
man-eater  and  the  skeletons.  Now  we  want  you  to  free 
the  men  who  are  in  an  opening  under  our  house." 

The  boy  found  many  men  in  the  opening  which  the  man- 
eater  had  forced  this  man  and  woman  to  guard.  He 
liberated  them,  and  sent  each  man  to  his  own  home. 

"Now,"  said  OTHAGWEnDA,  "let  all  the  trails  disappear. 
Trails  must  not  be  made  across  the  world  to  deceive 
people." 

The  trails  disappeared,  then  the  boy  went  home.    When 


242  SENECA    MYTHS 

he  saw  his  father  and  nine  brother  sitting  on  a  large  flat 
rock  he  asked, ' '  Why  don 't  you  go  into  the  house  ? ' ' 

"Your  mother  wouldn't  let  us  stay  in  the  house;  she 
drove  us  out,"  answered  Hagowane. 

The  boy  went  into  the  house,  and  asked,  "Mother,  are 
you  sorry  that  I  found  my  father  and  my  brothers?" 

1 '  Did  you  find  them  and  send  them  home  ? ' ' 

"I  did." 

The  woman  was  glad  then.  She  welcomed  her  husband 
and  sons.    They  came  in,  and  all  were  happy. 


COON  DECEIVES  CRAWFISH 
[Told  by  Mrs.  Sim  Logan] 


Characters 


Od jie'da  Crawfish 

Djoe'aga?   Coon 


ONE  day  a  coon  was  walking  out.  As  he  went  slowly 
along  the  bank  of  a  stream,  he  thought  of  his  enemies, 
the  crawfish,  and  wondered  how  he  could  kill  them.  At 
last  he  stood  still  and  thought  out  a  plan:  he  would  go 
along  the  stream  till  he  found  a  half -decayed  log;  he 
would  take  some  of  the  soft,  rotten  wood,  the  punk  of  the 
log,  and  rub  it  over  his  face  and  around  his  eyes  till  he 
looked  half-decayed  himself,  then  he  would  wait  for  his 
enemies. 

He  hurried  along  and  soon  found  a  log.  He  rubbed  his 
face  with  punk  then  stretched  himself  across  the  log,  half 
of  his  body  hanging  down  on  one  side  and  his  head  and 
neck  on  the  other  side.  Lying  in  this  lifeless  way  he  looked 
as  though  he  had  been  a  long  time  dead. 

By  and  by  a  crawfish,  that  was  walking  along  and  look- 
ing around,  chanced  to  see  Coon,  and  he  thought,  "  There 
is  a  dead  man!"  He  was  surprised,  and  said  in  his  own 
mind,  "I'll  go  and  see  if  he  is  really  dead." 

He  went  to  the  log.  Coon  did  not  stir.  Flies  were 
crawling  over  his  face  and  body. 

"Why,  this  is  our  enemy,"  said  Crawfish,  "and  he  is 
dead!  This  is  good  news  to  tell.  I'll  notify  all  of  my 
people. ' ' 

He  started  off  immediately.  When  he  thought  he  was 
near  enough  home  to  make  some  one  hear,  he  screamed, 

243 


244  SENECA    MYTHS 

liGo-gwa!  go-gwa!"  then  he  ran  on,  every  little  while  halt- 
ing to  scream  llGo-gwa!  go-gwa!" 

Some  one  heard  the  cry  and  notified  the  chief  that  a 
runner  was  coming  with  important  news.  The  people  went 
to  the  edge  of  the  village  and  waited.  When  the  runner 
came  in  sight,  the  chief  said,  "Let  half  of  the  people  stand 
on  one  side  of  the  path  and  half  on  the  other,  that  he 
may  come  to  me  quickly." 

When  the  runner  stood  in  front  of  the  chief  of  the 
Crawfish  nation  the  chief  asked,  "What  news  have  you 
brought?" 

' '  Great  news !  As  I  came  along  the  creek  I  saw,  not  very 
far  from  here,  a  dead  man  hanging  across  a  log,  I  went 
to  the  log  and  found  that  the  dead  man  was  our  great 
enemy,  Coon.  He  has  been  dead  a  long  time,  flies  are 
crawling  over  his  face." 

The  chief  said,  "This  is  great  news,  the  best  we  have 
ever  heard.  Our  enemy  is  dead!  We  will  go  and  look  at 
him.    The  man  who  found  him  will  lead  us  to  the  place." 

Before  starting  they  sang  and  as  the  song  ended  they 
gave  a  shout  that  filled  the  valley  and  went  up  to  the  top 
of  the  mountains.  Some,  in  a  hurry  to  see  their  enemy, 
pushed  ahead,  but  the  chief  ordered  them  to  stand  back 
and  move  forward  in  order. 

When  the  runner  said  they  were  half  way,  the  chief 
told  the  people  to  halt  and  sing.  They  sang  the  same  song 
and  again  the  shout  filled  the  valley  and  went  to  the  top 
of  the  mountains. 

When  they  came  to  the  place,  the  chief  told  the  men  to 
form  in  a  circle  around  the  log,  but  not  to  go  up  to  the 
man  hanging  across  it  till  they  were  sure  that  he  was  dead. 

After  a  while  each  man  said  to  the  chief,  "He  is  dead 
and  has  been  for  a  long  time." 

The  chief  said,  "This  is  the  best  thing  that  has  ever 
happened,  but  we  must  be  perfectly  sure  that  Coon  is 
dead.  We  will  sing  and  shout  and  then  the  bravest  man 
among  us  will  go  up  to  the  body,  reach  into  the  mouth  and, 
if  possible,  pull  out  the  heart,  then  we  shall  know  that  our 
enemy  is  dead." 

At  the  end  of  the  song  and  the  shout  a  man  went  up 
and  put  his  hand  into  Coon's  mouth,  but  he  sprang  back 


COON    DECEIVES    CRAWFISH         245 

with  a  cry  and  he  looked  as  though  he  were  frightened 
and  wanted  to  run  away. 

When  they  asked,  "What  is  the  matter ?"  he  said, 
"Coon  is  alive." 

The  men  called  him  a  liar,  and  said,  ' '  You  want  to  fool 
us.    Coon  is  half  rotten,  and  you  say  he  is  alive." 

The  chief  called  on  another  man  whom  he  said  always 
told  the  truth.  The  people  sang  and  shouted,  then  the 
man  stepped  boldly  up  to  the  body,  but  he  sprang  back. 
The  chief  and  the  people  were  astonished  when  the  man 
said,  "Coon  is  alive!"  There  the  body  hung,  head  down, 
no  one  had  seen  it  move,  and  the  face  was  black. 

The  chief  called  out  a  third  man,  the  best  man  in  the 
Crawfish  nation.  The  people  sang  and  shouted,  then  the 
man  went  up  to  the  body.  He  had  just  reached  out  to 
touch  it  when  Coon  sprang  up,  and  dashing  in  among  his 
enemies  began  to  fight  them.  He  pulled  out  their  arms, 
pounded  their  heads,  and  killed  them.  Of  all  the  Crawfish 
nation  only  one  man  escaped.  That  one  found  himself 
alone  on  a  high  hill  and,  not  knowing  which  way  to  go, 
was  terribly  frightened. 

"I  shall  die,"  thought  Crawfish,  "for  how  can  I  get 
back  to  the  water.  I  shall  die  here  alone."  He  crawled 
along  slowly,  for  he  was  weak  and  thirsty.  At  last  he  saw 
a  tree,  then  he  said  in  his  own  mind,  "I'll  go  and  ask 
that  tree  what  it  is."  When  he  came  to  the  tree  he  spoke 
up  and  asked,  "What  kind  of  a  tree  are  you?"  The  tree 
answered,  "I  am  a  black  oak." 

Crawfish  was  discouraged — black  oaks  grow  far  from 
water — and  he  said  to  himself,  "I  shall  die  here  alone," 
but  he  crawled  along  slowly.  After  a  time  he  saw  another 
tree  and  when  he  came  near  it,  he  spoke  up  and  asked, 
''What  kind  of  a  tree  are  you?"  The  tree  answered,  "I 
am  a  butternut." 

Now  butternut  trees  grow  nearer  the  water  than  oaks 
do,  so  Crawfish  knew  he  was  going  in  the  right  direction, 
but  his  courage  almost  gave  out  for  he  was  so  thirsty  and 
weak  that  he  could  scarcely  move.  Still  he  crawled  on. 
After  a  long  time  he  came  to  another  tree,  and  asked  as 
before,  "What  kind  of  tree  are  you?"  The  tree  answered, 
"I  am  a  cottonwood." 


246  SENECA    MYTHS 

Crawfish  was  encouraged  and  began  to  think  that  maybe 
he  would  live  till  he  came  to  some  stream,  for  he  knew 
that  one  was  not  far  away.  He  crawled  along  and  soon 
came  to  another  tree.  He  asked,  "What  kind  of  a  tree 
are  you?'*    "I  am  a  willow,"  answered  the  tree. 

Now  Crawfish  was  so  glad  that  he  screamed  and  laughed 
and  called  out,  "I'm  near  water!  I'm  near  water!"  Soon 
he  came  to  low  bushes,  then  he  stood  up,  jumped  as  far 
as  he  could  and  came  down  in  water.  He  was  so  thirsty 
that  he  didn't  go  to  the  bottom  of  the  stream,  but  floated 
on  the  surface  till  he  had  taken  a  long  drink.  Then  he 
sank  to  the  bottom,  and  he  still  lives  there. 


THE  DESERTED  BOY 

WHEN  the  Senecas  lived  at  Canandaigua,  one  of  their 
medicine  men  notified  them  that  something  terrible 
was  coming,  something  which  would  cause  great  loss  of 
life.  The  people  were  frightened.  They  quarreled  with 
one  another  and  became  suspicious  even  of  their  children. 

One  night  a  great  uproar  was  heard  outside ;  the  Chero- 
kees  were  there.  Men,  women  and  children  sprang  up  and 
fled  as  fast  as  they  could,  going  in  every  direction.  Among 
the  people  of  the  village  was  a  woman  with  a  baby  only 
two  days  old.  She  also  ran,  holding  the  child  in  her  arms. 
After  a  time  she  got  so  tired  that  she  decided  to  get  rid 
of  the  bundle.  Coming  to  a  tree  with  a  hole  in  one  side, 
not  far  from  the  ground,  she  dropped  the  child  into  the 
hole  and  ran  on.  In  the  tree  a  bear  lived  and  as  the  bundle 
fell  the  mother  bear  caught  it. 

When  the  woman  overtook  her  people,  they  asked  what 
she  had  done  with  her  child,  but  she  made  no  answer. 

After  many  persons  had  been  killed,  the  Cherokees 
disappeared,  but  the  Senecas  did  not  go  back  to  their 
village.     They  made  a  new  home  for  themselves. 

One  Spring  a  hunter,  when  out  looking  for  game,  came 
to  a  chestnut  grove.  He  had  not  been  there  long  when  he 
saw  a  bear  with  cubs.  Getting  a  good  chance  he  killed 
the  mother  bear.  As  she  fell  over,  she  hit  one  of  the  cubs 
and  it  cried  out  like  a  child.  The  other  cubs  ran  up  a 
tree.  The  man,  thinking  the  cry  sounded  strangely,  went 
to  the  place  quickly  and  saw  a  small  boy.  The  boy  jumped 
up  and  ran  away;  the  man  followed  and  at  last  caught 
him.  . 

"Stop  crying,  Nephew,"  said  he,  "Stop  crying,  nobody 
will  harm  you." 

"You  made  me  cry,"  said  the  child,  "You  have  killed 
my  mother.  Over  there  are  my  brothers"  (pointing  to 
the  tree). 

"I  wouldn't  have  killed  her  if  I  had  seen  you  first," 
said  the  man,  "but  how  came  the  bear  to  be  your  mother." 

247 


248  SENECA    MYTHS 

"My  real  mother  threw  me  away.  I  was  only  two  days 
old,  but  I  remember  everything.  I  knew  my  mother's 
mind.  I  was  a  burden  to  her  when  she  was  running  away 
from  some  one,  so  she  dropped  me  into  that  hollow  tree 
over  there.  The  bear  caught  me  as  I  fell  and  said  I  could 
be  her  child  and  live  with  her  cubs;  she  nursed  me  and 
was  good  to  me." 

"I  know  your  real  mother, "  said  the  man;  "but  now 
you  will  be  my  son." 

The  boy  didn't  like  this,  but  at  last  he  stopped  crying, 
and  the  man  strapped  him  on  to  his  back  and  carried 
him  to  where  a  party  of  hunters  were  camped. 

After  this,  whenever  the  man  went  out  to  hunt,  he  tied 
the  boy  up  so  he  couldn't  get  away.  One  day  the  child 
said,  "Don't  tie  me  up,  I'll  never  leave  you." 

He  was  not  tied  again  and  as  soon  as  he  was  old  enough 
the  man  let  him  go  with  him  when  he  went  out  to  hunt. 
The  boy  seemed  to  know  where  bears  lived,  but  he  never 
told  his  father  where  a  mother  bear  was.  The  man  had 
always  been  a  poor  hunter,  but  as  soon  as  he  found  the 
boy  he  began  to  have  wonderful  luck. 

After  a  while  the  man  said,  "It  is  time  to  go  back  to 
my  village." 

"My  mother  will  see  me,  and  take  me  away  from  you," 
said  the  boy. 

"Pay  no  attention  to  her,"  said  the  man.  "She  threw 
you  away." 

When  they  had  been  two  days  in  the  village,  the  woman 
heard  that  a  certain  hunter  had  brought  home  a  little 
boy  he  found  in  the  woods.  She  went  to  the  hunter's 
cabin  and  watched  every  move  of  the  child.  The  boy  was 
afraid  of  her.  He  knew  her  thoughts  wThen  she  threw 
him  away  and  he  knew  them  now.  When  she  asked  him 
who  he  was,  he  said,  "This  man  is  my  father."  But  she 
decided  that  the  boy  was  hers  and  she  began  to  urge  him 
to  go  home  with  her.  He  wouldn't  go.  One  day  when 
the  woman  knew  the  hunter  was  off  in  the  woods,  she  went 
to  his  house  and  tried  to  catch  the  boy.  He  ran  to  the 
woods,  crying  from  fright.  She  followed,  but  after  a 
while  lost  sight  of  him  and  turned  back. 

When  the  hunter  came  home  and  couldn't  find  the  child, 


THE    DESERTED    BOY  249 

he  looked  for  tracks  and  soon  discovered  that  the  boy  was 
running  away  and  his  mother  was  following  him.  He  was 
sorry,  for  he  was  afraid  he  would  never  see  the  child  again. 
Then  he  happened  to  think  that  maybe  the  boy  had  gone 
to  his  old  home  in  the  chestnut  grove.  He  went  there  and 
found  the  child. 

When  he  asked,  "Why  did  you  leave  me?"  the  child 
said,  "My  mother  tried  to  catch  me,  I  thought  she  wanted 
to  kill  me.  She  called  me  'Son/  and  I  didn't  like  it.  I 
told  her  that  I  had  no  mother.  I  want  to  live  here  all  of 
the  time. ' ' 

The  man  built  a  bark  cabin  and  they  stayed  in  the  forest. 
One  day  the  boy  said,  ' '  I  wish  that  I  had  a  boy  to  play 
with  me. ' ' 

The  man  went  to  the  village  and  brought  back  one  of 
his  sister's  boys,  a  child  a  little  younger  than  the  other 
boy. 

Now  there  were  three  in  the  house.  When  the  man 
went  hunting  and  left  the  boys  at  home  he  told  them 
not  to  go  far  from  the  house,  but  each  day  they  ventured 
farther,  till  one  day  they  came  to  a  place  where  the  leaves 
and  grass  and  everything  seemed  to  be  moving.  They 
looked  closely  and  saw  that  a  wide  strip  of  land  was  going 
along  as  if  on  a  river.  They  saw  a  coon  going  down  with 
this  stream  of  land.  Watching  it  made  them  forget  every- 
thing, but  at  last  the  elder  boy  said,  "We  must  go  home 
now.    We'll  come  to-morrow  and  stay  all  day." 

The  next  morning,  when  the  hunter  started  off,  he  cau- 
tioned the  boys  not  to  go  far  from  the  house,  telling  them 
that  if  they  disobeyed  him  something  would  happen  to 
them.  But  the  boys  were  so  anxious  to  get  to  the  place 
where  they  had  been  the  day  before  that  the  man  wasn't 
out  of  sight  when  they  started. 

They  found  the  moving  ground.  It  was  dry  land,  but 
was  moving  like  a  river.  It  was  not  wide;  a  person  could 
have  jumped  across  it.  The  boys  saw  animals  on  it,  and 
they  thought,  "What  fun!  Why  not  try  it?"  They 
sprang  on  and  sat  down. 

The  younger  boy  said,  "Let's  go  as  far  as  the  stream 
goes. ' ' 

They  laughed  and  had  a  good  time. 


250  SENECA    MYTHS 

After  going  some  distance  the  younger  boy  said,  "111 
get  off  and  run  back  and  come  down  again."  It  seemed 
to  him  exactly  like  sliding  down  hill. 

As  he  got  on  again,  his  companion  was  running  up,  they 
passed  each  other.  This  time  when  they  were  both  on,  one 
called  to  the  other,  " Don't  get  off  again.  Go  to  the 
end/' 

Soon  they  came  to  a  place  where  the  land  seemed  to 
pass  into  an  opening  like  a  great  door.  The  elder  boy 
saw  the  younger  go  in,  and  he  thought,  "This  is  great 
fun!" 

Then  he  heard  a  noise  as  if  some  one  were  killing  his 
play-mate,  that  minute  he  too  went  in  at  the  door.  Then 
he  saw  that  it  was  a  place  to  snare  game,  that  no  one  could 
get  away  after  coming  that  far.  In  an  instant  an  old  man 
with  a  mallet  hit  the  boy  on  the  head  and  killed  him. 

Two  Stone  Coats  lived  in  this  house,  and  they  had  such 
power  that  they  could  make  everything  come  to  them. 
Each  took  a  boy  and  sat  down  on  his  own  side  of  the  fire 
to  roast  him.  As  the  flesh  began  to  cook,  fat  oozed  out, 
fell  on  the  fire,  and  sputtered.  One  body  called  out  to 
the  other,  "You  are  burning!" 

"Guah!"  said  one  of  the  Stone  Coats,  "My  game  has  a 
voice!" 

"Guah!  My  game  has  a  voice,"  said  the  other  Stone 
Coat.  "This  is  fine,  when  one  begins  to  burn  it  tells  the 
other.    It's  queer  game  that  talks  like  this." 

When  the  bodies  were  sufficiently  cooked,  the  Stone  Coats 
began  to  eat.  "When  they  had  eaten  the  last  mouthful  and 
not  a  particle  of  flesh  or  a  bone  was  left,  they  began  to 
be  in  terrible  pain. 

One  said  to  the  other,  "It  must  be  that  strange  game 
is  making  us  sick." 

They  rolled  around  and  groaned  till  daylight  came, 
then  the  two  boys  were  there  and  the  two  Stone  Coats  were 
dead. 

One  boy  said  to  the  other,  "This  is  why  our  father 
warned  us  not  to  go  far  from  the  house.  "We'll  go  home 
and  tell  him  what  happened  to  us." 

As  they  were  starting,  the  younger  boy  said,  "We  must 
burn  up  this  house.     Our  uncles  have  done  great  harm  to 


THE    DESERTED    BOY  251 

people.  Henceforth  men  shall  eat  animals,  not  human 
beings. ' ' 

The  younger  boy  had  the  most  power.  He  walked 
around  the  house  throwing  red  paint,  such  as  they  had 
to  paint  their  faces  with.  The  paint  stopped  the  stream 
of  land  that  was  going  through  the  house,  and  set  the 
house  on  fire. 

When  the  boys  were  near  home,  they  heard  singing  and 
the  younger  said,  "Our  father  is  mourning  for  us.  When 
we  get  home  you  must  tell  him  what  happened.  He  will 
believe  you  sooner  than  he  will  me,  for  you  are  older  than 
I  am." 

The  hunter  was  sitting  by  the  fire  and  his  song  was 
about  the  loss  of  his  children. 

The  elder  boy  called  out,  "Father,  we've  come  home. 
We've  not  been  killed.  We  shall  never  die.  There  is 
nothing  that  can  harm  us." 

The  man  greeted  the  boys  and  was  glad.  They  told 
him  of  their  adventure,  and  said,  "Now  we  are  going 
farther." 

The  man  said,  "Beyond  the  house  you  burned,  there  are 
other  houses  and  in  those  houses  are  uncles  of  yours,  man- 
eaters.  ' ' 

"I  don't  care,"  said  the  younger  boy.  "I  want  to  see 
everything  there  is  in  the  world." 

The  man  knew  that  the  boys  were  full  of  power  (witch- 
craft). The  younger  boy  had  control  of  his  uncle's  mind 
and  it  was  through  his  influence  that  the  man  let  them 
do  as  they  liked. 

The  boy  said,  "You  can  stay  here  and  hunt.  We'll  go 
and  see  our  uncle  who  lives  beyond  Stone  Coat's  house. 
Maybe  he'll  tell  us  stories.    We  are  lonesome." 

The  man  said,  ' '  The  first  house  is  three  looks  from  here 
and  they  are  all  three  looks  apart." 

When  the  boys  came  to  the  house  they  had  burned, 
they  halted  and  looked.  They  could  see  some  object  in 
the  distance,  and  there  was  the  end  of  the  first  look.  When 
they  came  to  that  object  they  looked  again,  went  to  the 
object  they  saw,  and  looking  off  again  saw  an  opening,  and 
said,  "Our  uncle  must  live  there." 

When  they  reached  the   opening,   they  saw   a   house. 


252  SENECA    MYTHS 

Everything  was  quiet;  there  was  no  one  in  sight.  The 
younger  boy  crept  up  carefully,  and  making  a  sudden  leap 
sprang  into  the  house  and  called  out,  "I've  caught  you, 
Uncle!" 

"I'm  glad  you  have  come,  Nephew,"  said  an  old  man 
who  was  there.    "I'm  sick.    You'll  give  me  medicine." 

"What  do  you  want?" 

"This,  Nephew:  when  anyone  comes  to  see  me,  I  play 
hide-and-seek.  I'll  play  with  you.  If  you  find  me,  I  lose 
my  head.    If  I  find  you  boys,  you'll  lose  your  heads." 

The  house  was  empty,  but  the  younger  boy  saw,  hanging 
on  the  posts  where  they  met  in  a  point,  a  very  small  bag, 
and  he  thought, ' '  My  uncle  will  hide  in  that  bag. ' ' 

As  usual  in  those  days  there  was  a  large  log  on  the 
fire. 

The  old  man  said,  "The  finder  must  go  over  the  top 
of  that  hill  out  there  and  when  the  hider  is  ready,  he  will 
call.    You  must  hide  first." 

The  boys  agreed  and  the  old  man  started  off.  They 
heard  his  bones  rattle  as  he  ran.  The  younger  boy  said, 
"I'll  go  into  the  log  on  the  fire  and  you  can  go  behind 
the  sun.    When  you  are  ready  I'll  call." 

After  a  time  he  shouted,  "Onch!" 

"This  is  what  I  do  to  my  nephews,"  said  the  old  man, 
and  catching  up  his  club  he  ran  into  the  house  and  began 
to  strike  the  posts  singing  out,  "Here  you  are!  Come 
out!" 

The  boy  in  the  log  looked  at  his  uncle  and  laughed; 
the  boy  behind  the  sun  was  also  watching  him.  When  the 
old  man's  time  was  up,  he  said,  "Come  out!  I  can't  find 
you." 

As  he  said  this,  the  nephew  behind  the  sun  showed  him- 
self and,  laughing  at  the  old  man,  came  down  to  the  house ; 
the  other  boy  crawled  from  the  heart  of  the  log.  The  old 
man  laughed  loudly,  and  said,  "Now  go  beyond  the  hill 
and  I'll  hide." 

When  the  boys  heard  the  old  man  call,  they  ran  to  the 
house.  The  younger  boy  caught  up  the  club  and  did  as 
he  had  seen  his  uncle  do.  At  last  he  stopped  striking  the 
posts  and  called  out,  "Uncle,  you  are  up  there  in  your 
medicine  bag.    Come  out!" 


THE    DESERTED    BOY  253 

The  old  man  came  out,  laughing  and  said,  "My  little 
nephew,  you  are  full  of  witchcraft.  No  one  ever  found  me 
before. ' ' 

The  boy  said,  "When  a  man  makes  a  bet,  he  must  live 
up  to  it.  You  have  lost  your  head. ' '  Upon  this  he  caught 
hold  of  the  old  man-eater  and  cut  off  his  head.  The  elder 
boy  picked  the  head  up,  stuck  it  against  a  tree  and  said, 
"Hereafter  trees  shall  have  heads  on  them  (knots),  and 
the  heads  will  be  used  to  make  ladles  and  bowls. ' ' x 

The  boys  burned  the  old  man's  house  and  then  went  on. 
Three  looks  away  they  came  to  the  edge  of  a  forest  and 
saw  a  house  close  by.  The  younger  boy  said  to  the  elder, 
"Stay  here,  111  go  to  the  house  and  come  back." 

There  were  four  witches  in  the  house.  As  soon  as  the 
boy  went  in,  the  old  woman  said  to  her  daughters,  ' '  Hurry 
up  and  get  the  kettle  over  the  fire."  The  boy  watched 
them,  thinking  that  maybe  they  would  kill  him. 

The  elder  brother  waited  a  long  time,  then  got  out  of 
patience  and  called  his  medicine,  a  mole.  It  came,  and 
he  said,  "You  must  take  me  to  that  house.  I  want  to 
find  my  brother." 

When  the  water  in  the  kettle  was  boiling,  the  old  woman 
said  to  her  eldest  daughter,  "Lay  a  skin  on  the  ground 
and  put  the  animal  that  has  come  to  us  on  the  skin. ' ' 

The  boy  knew  that  they  intended  to  kill  him,  but  he  sat 
down  on  the  skin.  The  old  woman's  second  daughter  took 
a  mallet  from  the  wall  and  raised  it  to  strike  him,  but  he 
said,  "Let  the  mallet  come  down  on  the  old  woman."  It 
struck  her  a  terrible  blow  on  the  head.  As  the  girl  raised 
the  mallet  a  second  time,  he  said,  "Let  it  strike  the  eldest 
sister. ' ' 

Right  away  the  three  sisters  began  to  fight  with  one 
another.  The  boy  kept  telling  the  mallet  to  strike,  first 
one  and  then  another.  For  a  time  there  was  a  terrible 
struggle,  then  all  was  quiet ;  the  sisters  were  dead. 

A  voice  from  under  the  ground  asked,  "What  are  you 
doing,  brother?" 

' '  Oh,  the  old  woman  and  her  daughters  have  been  having 
a  little  sport." 

1T0  this  day  trees  with  knots  are  said  to  have  "Uncle's  head" 
on  them. 


254  SENECA    MYTHS 

"All  right,' '  said  a  voice  behind  him,  and  there  stood 
the  elder  boy.  ■ '  I  was  out  of  patience.  We  might  have 
gone  a  long  way  on  our  journey.  We'll  burn  up  the 
house. ' ' 

"I  don't  want  my  mind  to  be  different  from  yours," 
said  the  younger  boy,  "but  before  we  go  on  we  must  purify 
ourselves  (swim).  When  we  get  to  the  river,  you  must 
be  careful,  I'll  go  in  first  and  you  will  stay  on  the  bank 
till  I  call  you.  Unless  we  purify  ourselves,  we  will  meet 
with  misfortune,  for  the  people  where  we  are  going  are  full 
of  witchcraft." 

The  water  of  the  river  was  thick  and  red.  When  the 
elder  boy  saw  his  brother  go  in,  he  thought,  "that  must 
be  fun!"  and  without  waiting  to  be  called  he  waded  in. 
Filth  gathered  on  his  body  and  he  sank  out  of  sight.  His 
brother  rescued  him,  then  said,  "If  you  had  waited  till 
I  called,  you  would  have  been  saved  this  trouble.  Now 
we  will  go  on  till  we  come  to  a  village  where  they  are 
playing  ball." 

They  soon  came  to  an  opening  and  saw  a  crowd  of  people 
standing  near  a  pole  in  the  center  of  the  opening.  The 
two  went  forward  and  the  younger  said  to  the  chief,  "We 
have  come  to  challenge  you.    What  are  your  rules?" 

"We  wager  heads." 

1 '  There  must  be  two  men  on  a  side, ' '  said  the  boy. 

The  chief  said  to  the  people,  "These  strangers  challenge 
us  to  a  game  of  ball.  There  will  be  two  players  on  a 
side!" 

"You  must  be  one  of  those  players,"  said  the  boy  to  the 
chief.  Then  he  commanded  a  spider  to  weave  a  strong 
web  across  the  ball  ground. 

The  game  began.  The  ball  flew  off  in  the  direction  of 
the  web  and  hitting  it  was  thrown  back.  The  elder  boy 
caught  the  ball  and  ran  for  the  first  point,  got  it,  had  one 
inning  and  called  out,  "The  game  is  mine!  We  have  the 
inning!     The  game  is  finished." 

"  It  is  not, ' '  said  the  chief. 

"This  is  the   way   we   play,"   said  the   younger  boy. 

* '  Whoever  gets  the  first  inning  wins  the  game. ' ' 

"Very  well,"  said  the  chief,  "You  have  won  the  heads 
of  the  men  you  played  with." 


THE    DESERTED    BOY  255 

"We  bet  with  you,"  said  the  boy.  "We  don't  care  who 
played  for  you,"  and  running  up  he  caught  the  chief  by 
the  hair,  and  saying  "If  it  hadn't  been  for  you  we  should 
have  been  far  on  our  way, ' '  he  cut  off  his  head. 

The  people  asked  the  boys  to  be  their  chief,  but  they 
said,  "No,  our  work  is  done.  We  have  killed  all  the  man- 
eaters,  now  we  are  going  home." 


DAGWANOEnYENT    (WHIRLWIND)1 

TWO  brothers,  one  a  young  man,  the  other  a  small  boy, 
were  one  day  out  in  the  woods  together.  They  heard 
a  great  noise  overhead  and  looking  up  saw  a  Dagwanoe"- 
yent,  an  enormous  head,  flying  above  them. 

The  elder  brother  called  out  "Gowe!  gowe!" 

The  Dagwanoe^ent  said,  "  Thank  you.  Thank  you. 
You  should  always  sing  in  that  way  when  you  are  going 
tc  fight.  If  you  do,  I  will  be  on  your  side  and  kill  your 
enemies  for  you." 

Taking  three  hairs  from  his  head  the  Dagwanoedyent 
gave  them  to  the  brothers,  saying,  "When  you  want  to 
escape  from  danger,  get  water  and  draw  these  hairs  along 
in  it.  When  you  take  them  out,  drops  of  water  will  hang 
tc  them  and  those  drops  will  bring  rain.',  Then  the 
Dagwanoeuyent  went  on,  leaving  the  two  brothers. 

By  those  hairs  the  brothers  often  escaped  from  their 
enemies. 

Whenever  they  wanted  rain,  they  had  only  to  draw  the 
hairs  through  water  and  then  shake  off  the  drops;  right 
away  heavy  rain  fell.  The  hairs  were  long  kept  by  the 
Senecas. 

The  narrator  thinks  there  is  one  hair  yet.  It  is  owned 
by  a  man  who  lives  on  the  Alleghany  Reservation. 

i  Always  represented  as  a  head  without  a  body. 


256 


HOTHO  (COLD) 


ONE  day  a  man  who  was  out  hunting  met  H6tho  and 
said  to  him,  "You  cannot  freeze  me,  no  matter  how 
cold  you  are." 

"I  can,"  said  H6tho. 

They  had  a  long  discussion  and  at  last  agreed  that  when 
night  came  they  would  have  a  trial  of  strength. 

The  man  went  home,  carried  in  wood  enough  to  burn 
till  morning,  built  a  huge  fire  and  made  a  kettleful  of 
hemlock  tea.  He  stood  in  front  of  the  fire  all  night,  turn- 
ing first  one  side  then  the  other  toward  the  heat,  often 
drinking  a  cup  of  hot  tea.  It  was  terribly  cold  and  grew 
colder  and  colder  till  near  morning. 

Just  at  daybreak,  H6tho,  naked,  his  hatchet  in  his  hip, 
came  into  the  house  and  sat  down  on  a  pile  of  bark  by  the 
fire. 

"You  have  beaten  me,"  said  he,  and  that  minute  it 
began  to  grow  warm  and  thaw. 

This  shows  that  man  can  conquer  H6tho. 


257 


FLYING-SQUIRREL  AND  THE   SEASONS 
[Told  by  John  Jimison] 


Characters 


Doseno'  daia Flying-squirrel 

D  jeonyaik Robin 

Dowisdowe Tip-up  (a  bird) 

Deddeddane    Caterpillar 

D  jiH0nSDUQGWEn Ants 

Gasyondetha Meteor 


FLYING-SQUIRREL  was  a  poor  man.  He  could  kill 
no  game  and  he  didn't  know  how  to  get  food  for  his 
wife  and  children.  One  day  he  sat  from  morning  till 
evening  with  his  head  bent  down,  thinking  what  he  could  do. 

That  night,  just  as  he  was  going  to  sleep,  a  man  came 
in,  and  said,  "War  is  being  forced  upon  the  people  across 
the  lake.  They  want  all  the  assistance  they  can  get.  They 
have  sent  for  you.    You  are  to  start  two  moons  from  now. ' ' 

"I  will  go,"  said  Flying-squirrel. 

The  stranger  left  and  Flying-squirrel  fell  asleep.  While 
sleeping  he  dreamed  and  his  dream  said,  "I  have  come  to 
help  you.  You  have  promised  to  go  to  war.  Those  people 
will  try  to  kill  you.  They  will  do  this  to  find  out  how 
much  power  you  have.    I  will  be  there  and  will  save  you. ' ' 

The  next  morning  Flying-squirrel  was  low-spirited. 
He  sat  with  his  head  down.  His  wife  asked  what  troubled 
him,  but  she  got  no  answer. 

At  midday  he  raised  his  head,  and  said,  "I  am  going 
to  war,  and  I  am  thinking  how  I  am  to  conquer  the  enemy." 

258 


FLYING  SQUIRREL  AND  SEASONS    259 

After  telling  his  thoughts,  Flying-squirrel  was  no  longer 
sad.  "When  two  moons  had  passed,  he  took  his  bow  and 
arrows,  and  said,  "I  am  going  now  and  I  may  be  away 
a  long  time,  but  I  think  we  will  all  live." 

Flying-squirrel  traveled  many  days  without  food  or 
rest,  then  he  said  to  himself,  "I  am  hungry,"  but  he  kept 
on.  Just  at  midday,  he  heard  a  noise  behind  him  that 
sounded  as  though  some  animal  were  following.  He  turned 
and  saw  ten  deer  in  line.  He  killed  them  all,  built  a  fire 
and  roasted  the  meat.  He  ate  the  ten  deer  and  wasn't 
satisfied.  He  was  still  hungry,  but  he  started  on.  That 
night,  for  the  first  time,  he  stopped,  crawled  into  a  hollow 
tree,  and  slept.  The  next  morning  he  was  up  early.  He 
felt  so  much  stronger  that  he  wondered  how  he  would 
feel  if  he  slept  longer.  He  lay  down  again  and  was  just 
falling  asleep  when  someone  kicked  the  hollow  tree,  and 
said,  "You  had  better  come  out  and  go  on.  If  you  don't 
start  soon,  the  animal  that  lives  in  this  tree  will  come  and 
kill  you." 

"Let  it  come,"  said  Flying-squirrel. 

Eight  away  he  heard  a  great  noise  and  felt  the  earth 
tremble.  Then  the  tree  he  was  in  was  torn  to  pieces.  Just 
as  enormous  jaws  were  about  to  close  on  him,  he  sprang 
into  the  animal's  mouth  and  fell  on  his  back  in  its  stomach. 
Soon  he  knew  that  the  creature  was  running  and  he 
thought,  "This  is  pleasant;  I  am  being  rocked,  and  it  is 
nice  and  warm  in  here. ' ' 

The  creature  traveled  for  a  long  time,  then  lay  down. 
Flying-squirrel  went  to  sleep  and  when  he  woke  up,  he 
thought  it  must  be  morning.  By  and  by  he  felt  a  move- 
ment and  he  said  to  himself,  "The  person  who  is  taking 
care  of  me  is  waking  up."  Then  he  knew  that  he  was 
being  carried  along  swiftly.  "Now  I  am  traveling  fast," 
thought  he  as  he  rocked  from  side  to  side. 

While  the  creature  was  running  at  great  speed  what 
seemed  like  a  terrible  gust  of  wind  swept  through  him  and 
Flying-squirrel  was  blown  out.  He  got  up,  and,  looking 
around,  saw  a  great  black  object  going  on  ahead.  Flying- 
squirrel  thought,  "Oh,  what  a  dreadful  animal  has  been 
taking  care  of  me!"  The  sun  was  in  the  middle  of  the 
eky  and  he  couldn't  tell  which  way  to  go.    After  a  while 


260  SENECA    MYTHS 

he  started,  as  he  thought,  toward  the  West,  but  he  went 
directly  North. 

Flying-squirrel  traveled  many  days  and  nights  without 
food  or  rest,  then  he  thought,  "I  am  hungry."  That 
minute  he  heard  a  noise  and  turning  around  saw  ten  bears 
in  a  line.  He  killed  the  bears,  then  built  a  fire  and  roasted 
the  meat.  After  he  had  eaten  the  last  morsel,  he  said, 
"I've  had  a  meal  that  will  last  me  a  long  time,,,  and  he 
went  on. 

He  traveled  many  moons,  resting  nights,  then  he  was 
stopped  by  a  precipice  so  deep  that  he  couldn't  see  the 
bottom.  As  he  stood  wondering  how  he  could  go  on  he 
saw  a  man  coming  from  the  East.  The  man's  hair  was 
long  and  bright.  Then  he  saw  a  man  coming  from  the 
West.  His  hair  was  fiery  red.  As  he  looked  another  man 
came  from  the  South.  He  had  long  light  hair.  Then  he 
saw  one  coming  from  the  direction  he  himself  was  going 
in.    That  man  had  a  very  long  nose. 

The  man  from  the  East  spoke  to  Flying-squirrel,  asking, 
" Which  one  of  the  four  will  you  choose?" 

Then  the  man  from  the  West  said  to  the  man  from  the 
East,  "I  am  sorry  that  you  got  ahead  and  spoke  first." 

Then  he  asked  Flying-squirrel,  "  Which  one  of  the  four 
will  you  choose?" 

Each  one  of  the  four  asked  the  same  question,  then  the 
first  speaker  said,  "We  have  all  asked.  We  don't  know 
which  one  he  will  choose,  but  we  will  put  ourselves  to 
trial  and  the  strongest  will  be  the  one  to  have  the  care 
of  him." 

The  bright-haired  man  said  to  Flying-squirrel,  "You 
who  have  come  here  are  the  cause  of  our  fighting,  but  I 
warn  you  to  be  careful.  Should  the  man  from  the  North 
conquer,  he  would  devour  you.  Should  the  man  from  the 
South  conquer,  he  would  enslave  you.  The  man  from  the 
West  is  my  friend,  but  he  is  not  as  powerful  as  I  am. 
There  isn't  much  chance  of  his  winning." 

"Let  me  talk,"  said  the  man  from  the  West.  "We 
are  proud.  Each  one  thinks  that  he  is  the  strongest.  I 
have  conquered  everything  I  have  met.  I  have  been  all 
over  the  world.  I  think  that  I  am  the  most  powerful  of 
the  four.     My  friend,  whose  hair  is  bright,  is  not  very 


FLYING  SQUIRREL  AND  SEASONS    261 

powerful;  all  he  can  do  is  to  give  you  light.  I  can  do 
anything.  I  can  aid  you  in  battle.  Look  at  my  hair,  it 
is  red,  covered  with  the  blood  of  fighting.  I  shall  be  sorry 
if  you  fail  to  choose  me.  I  don't  know  the  other  two,  but 
I  think  they  are  man-eaters.'' 

"Let  me  talk,"  said  the  man  from  the  South,  the  flaxen- 
haired  man.  "I  have  great  strength  in  jumping,  and  I 
am  a  swift  runner.  When  in  war  people  run  away,  I  can 
overtake  them.  The  man  who  comes  from  the  North  is  a 
friend  of  mine,  but  he  is  not  as  powerful  as  I  am.  You 
should  choose  me." 

"Let  me  talk,"  said  the  Northern  man.  "I  am  a  man 
of  great  power.  No  matter  how  steep  a  place  is,  I  can 
climb  it.  I  can  overpower  every  creature  that  lives  in  the 
water,  and  all  the  animals  that  roam  around  in  this  world. 
Only  five  things  do  I  fear:  the  Ancient  of  Bears,  Blue 
Lizard,  Whirlwind,  the  Ice  King,  and  Thunder.  I  shall 
be  sorry  if  you  don't  choose  me." 

Flying-squirrel  didn't  speak. 

"Stand  aside,"  said  the  bright-haired  man.  "The  trial 
of  strength  must  begin." 

"Let  us  begin  fairly,"  said  the  red-haired  man.  "Let 
this  man  make  his  choice  before  we  begin." 

"Let  us  have  the  trial  first,"  said  the  flaxen-haired  man. 

"Let  us  have  the  trial  first  and  the  one  who  is  the 
strongest  will  have  the  care  of  the  man,"  said  the  long- 
nosed  one. 

' '  Now  begin ! ' '  said  the  flaxen-haired  man,  and  he  sprang 
toward  the  red-haired  man. 

The  other  two  advanced,  but  the  red-haired  man  drew 
aside,  and  said,  "Wait!  Let  us  have  peace."  But,  after 
a  little  he  said,  "Very  well,  we  will  decide  it  by  fighting. 
You  all  know  how  strong  I  am." 

The  three  consented.  The  four  clinched  and  went  down, 
the  red-haired  man  at  the  bottom.  As  they  struggled  he 
still  insisted  that  they  should  have  peace,  but  when  they 
hurt  him,  he  got  angry  and  fought  in  earnest,  then  the 
three  were  powerless.  He  pounded  them,  killed  them  all, 
then  said  to  Flying-squirrel,  "I  told  you  what  my  strength 
was.    Now  will  you  have  my  care?" 

"I  am  on  a  journey,"  said  Flying-squirrel.     "I  want 


262  SENECA    MYTHS 

you  to  help  me  all  you  can.  I  want  you  to  give  me  power 
to  change  myself  to  any  form  I  wish  for." 

"I  am  the  most  powerful  person  in  the  world/'  said  the 
red-headed  man.  "I  am  he  whom  you  call  Gasyondetha 
(Meteor).  I  am  the  oldest  person  in  the  world.  The  three 
fear  me  for  I  have  often  overpowered  them.  I  will  give 
you  power  and  it  will  be  the  same  as  if  I  went  with  you. 
When  you  use  this  power  you  must  say,  '  Grandfather, 
you  and  I  have  never  failed  in  anything  we  have  under- 
taken.' I  will  give  you  a  piece  of  flesh,  from  my  head 
and  neck  and  down  my  back,  long  enough  for  a  belt." 

Flying-squirrel  took  his  flint  knife  and  cut  out  the  piece 
of  flesh.  When  he  was  through,  the  red-headed  man  ap- 
peared to  be  dead,  but  as  Flying-squirrel  looked  at  the 
wound  he  saw  the  edges  come  together  and  heal. 

That  minute  the  man  said,  "You  see  what  power  I 
have,  I  cannot  die.  As  for  the  men  you  saw  me  kill,  I 
only  sent  them  home;  they  are  not  dead.  Now  go  in  the 
direction  I  came  from  and  do  all  you  can  to  help  your- 
self. The  bright-haired  man  will  soon  be  here  and  it 
would  not  be  well  for  us  to  be  together  when  he  comes. 
I  am  going." 

The  red-haired  man  leaped  into  the  air,  and,  giving  a 
whoop,  called  out,  "I  am  the  strongest  person  in  the 
world!  No  one  can  conquer  me."  As  he  traveled  there 
were  sparks  in  the  air. 

Flying-squirrel  felt  limber  and  strong  and  he  ran  on 
swiftly  till  night  came.  Then  he  lay  down  under  a  tree. 
He  was  almost  asleep  when  he  heard  footsteps  on  the  dry 
leaves.  Then  a  voice  said,  "Flying-squirrel,  I  am  in 
search  of  you.  I  am  sent  by  the  red-haired  man.  During 
the  night  men  will  come  and  try  to  get  the  belt  you  are 
wearing,  but  nothing  will  happen  for  I  will  be  here.  Help 
me  gather  wood,  we  must  have  a  fire." 

The  two  gathered  wood  and  made  a  big  fire.  As  it 
blazed  up  they  heard  one  voice  and  then  another  and 
another  till  there  were  voices  everywhere  and  those  voices 
said,  "Throw  away  what  you  have  around  your  waist; 
it  isn't  good  for  you;  it  will  poison  you."  Their  cries 
increased  and  their  number  increased. 

Flying-squirrel  said  in  his  own  mind,  "If  the  fire  wasn't 


FLYING  SQUIRREL  AND  SEASONS    263 

here,  that  great  crowd  of  people  would  pounce  upon  me 
and  kill  me."  He  didn't  see  these  men  for  they  were  in 
the  dark.  They  didn't  come  even  to  the  edge  of  the  light 
thrown  out  by  the  fire.  They  cried  louder  and  louder  till 
just  before  dawn,  then  their  cries  began  to  recede  and  at 
daybreak  all  was  silent. 

Flying-squirrel's  protector  said,  "You  are  safe  now. 
Go  on  in  the  same  direction.  At  midday  you  will  come 
to  a  fallen  tree.    I  will  meet  you  there." 

Flying-squirrel  went  on  till  he  came  to  the  tree  and 
passed  it.  He  didn't  remember  the  man's  words  till  he 
came  to  a  second  tree,  then  he  said  to  himself,  "I  should 
have  stopped  at  the  first  tree,"  and  he  was  about  to  turn 
back  when  he  thought,  ' '  What  good  will  it  do  ?  I  am  on 
a  journey.  I'll  not  turn  back.  If  he  wanted  to  give  me 
food,  I  don't  care  for  it.  I'm  not  hungry,"  and  he 
traveled  on. 

When  night  came,  he  lay  down  by  a  tree.  Soon  he 
heard  footsteps. 

Someone  stopped  near  him  and  said,  "I  have  come  to 
keep  you  company.  There  is  a  person  with  me.  You  may 
sleep.    We  will  build  a  fire." 

The  sun  was  in  the  sky  when  Flying-squirrel  woke  up. 
There  was  no  one  around.  Those  who  had  come  in  the 
night  had  disappeared.  A  great  many  nights  passed  in 
the  same  way:  as  soon  as  darkness  came  and  Flying-squir- 
rel lay  down  to  sleep  two  men  came  to  protect  him  and 
just  at  daylight  they  disappeared. 

At  last  he  came  to  a  precipice  and  could  go  no  farther. 
Then  he  remembered  that  his  friend  had  given  him  the 
power  to  change  to  any  form  he  wished. 

"My  friend,"  said  he,  "I  will  be  a  black  eagle  and  go 
down  into  the  ravine  and  look  around." 

That  minute  he  was  an  eagle.  He  flapped  his  wings, 
flew  off,  and  came  back,  then  flew  off  quite  a  distance  and 
began  to  sink  down.  After  a  time  he  saw  that  there  were 
trees  under  him,  then  he  sank  as  fast  as  he  could  and  soon 
was  in  a  beautiful  country.  He  saw  a  great  patch  of  straw- 
berries.   He  picked  and  ate  as  many  as  he  wanted. 

Then,  taking  his  own  form,  he  went  on  till  he  came  to 
a  house.     Stealing  up  to  the  house  he  looked  through  a 


264  SENECA    MYTHS 

crack  and  saw  a  very  old  woman  with  long  white  hair.  She 
was  sitting  with  head  down  but  she  raised  it,  and  said, 
1  'Game  has  come  to  me,  I  smell  it." 

"This  woman  wants  to  kill  me,"  thought  Flying-squir- 
rel.   '  ■  If  she  touches  me,  I  '11  cut  off  her  head. ' ' 

A  second  time  the  woman  said,  "I  smell  game,"  then 
she  called,  "Grandson,  come  in,  why  do  you  stand  out 
there?" 

"It  seems  this  old  woman  is  my  grandmother,"  said 
Flying-squirrel.     "I'll  go  in." 

The  woman  said,  "I  heard,  a  long  time  ago,  that  you 
were  coming.  You  have  been  invited  by  my  grandchildren 
who  live  beyond  the  lake.    I  will  carry  you  over  there. ' ' 

This  woman  was  old  Caterpillar  and  she  was  called  the 
long-haired  woman. 

"I  don't  want  you  to  carry  me  over,"  said  Flying- 
squirrel.    "I  can  get  there  myself." 

"Well,  Grandson,  I  have  a  game  that  I  play  with  those 
who  come  here.  We  take  mallets,  go  to  an  opening  near 
here,  and  run.  As  we  overtake  each  other  we  strike  with 
the  mallet." 

"Very  well,"  said  Flying-squirrel,  "but  you  must  lend 
me  a  mallet." 

The  old  woman  brought  two  mallets,  and  said,  "Take 
your  choice." 

One  was  good,  the  other  was  old,  he  took  the  old  one, 
and  they  started  for  the  opening.  Just  as  they  came  to 
the  edge  of  the  field,  the  old  woman  struck  Flying-squirrel 
a  heavy  blow  and  ran.  He  ran  after  her,  overtook  her 
and  struck  her.  She  fell  but  was  soon  up  and  after  him. 
When  she  struck  at  Flying-squirrel  a  second  time,  he 
dodged  and  the  mallet  came  down  on  her  knee. 

They  kept  this  game  up  till  sunset,  then  the  old  woman 
said,  "Let  us  rest  a  while."  Flying-squirrel  sat  down 
but  Caterpillar  struck  him  and  ran.  This  time  she  went 
along  the  edge  of  a  high  cliff. 

All  at  once  she  turned  and  gave  Flying-squirrel  such  a 
push  that  he  went  over  the  cliff.  He  fell  into  a  river  and 
a  great  fish  swallowed  him. 

Soon  he  heard  a  woman  say,  "Sister,  we  have  caught 
a  fish  in  our  trap.    Help  me  get  it  out." 


FLYING  SQUIRREL  AND  SEASONS    265 

These  sisters  were  of  the  Tip-up  (water-bird)  family. 

The  women  got  the  fish  to  the  bank  and  cut  it  open. 

"Oh,  Sister!"  cried  one  of  the  women,  "there  is  a  child 
in  this  fish !    Hurry  and  tell  our  mother  to  come. ' ' 

Flying-squirrel  had  changed  to  an  infant.  When  old 
Tip-up  came,  she  said,  "This  boy  will  be  my  grandson." 

The  three  women  took  good  care  of  the  child.  It  grew 
very  fast  and  soon  walked  and  talked. 

One  day  the  boy  began  to  cry. 

"What  is  the  trouble,  Grandson !"  asked  the  old  woman. 

"My  Grandmother,"  said  the  boy,  "I  am  lonesome.  I 
want  to  see  my  friends." 

"Stop  crying,  Grandson,  I  will  give  you  something  to 
play  with."  She  gave  him  a  bright  red  fox-skin  of  won- 
derful power.    He  stopped  crying  and  was  happy. 

One  day  the  boy  said,  "I  am  going  into  the  woods  to 
shoot  birds." 

The  women  cautioned  him  not  to  go  toward  the  South. 
He  hunted  a  long  time  but  found  no  birds,  while  off  in 
the  South,  he  heard  the  beautiful  songs  of  many  birds. 
At  last  he  turned  and  went  toward  the  South.  As  he 
advanced,  the  singing  receded.  He  followed  it  on  and 
on  till  he  came  to  an  opening  and  saw  a  house.  He  crept 
up  to  the  house,  looked  in  through  a  crack,  and  saw  the 
long-haired  woman  who  had  pushed  him  over  the  cliff. 
She  raised  her  head,  and  said,  "Well,  Grandson,  come  in. 
Why  do  you  stand  outside?" 

When  the  boy  went  in  the  old  grandmother  said,  "I 
have  been  expecting  you.  I  have  a  game  that  I  play  with 
those  who  come  here." 

"Very  well,"  said  the  boy,  for  he  knew  what  the  game 
was.  "Now,"  thought  he,  "I  will  serve  her  as  she  served 
me." 

They  went  to  the  opening.  After  they  had  struck  each 
other  a  number  of  times,  the  woman  ran  along  the  edge 
of  a  high  cliff  intending  to  turn  and  push  the  boy  over, 
but  he  overtook  her  quickly,  gave  her  a  terrible  push  and 
sent  her  over  the  cliff. 

"There,"  said  he.  "I  have  thrown  her  as  she  threw 
me.    Now  I  will  burn  her  house." 

When  the  house  was  in  ashes,  the  boy  went  home.     On 


266  SENECA    MYTHS 

the  way  he  killed  a  turkey.  While  the  sisters  were  cooking 
the  turkey  they  noticed  that  the  boy  looked  frightened. 

' '  What  is  the  trouble,  Grandson  ? ' '  asked  the  old  woman. 

"I  am  afraid  you  will  scold  me.  I  have  killed  the 
long-haired  woman." 

"We  are  glad/'  said  the  sisters.  "She  has  done  us 
great  harm.  Now  you  can  go  in  any  direction  you  like. 
That  woman  lived  in  the  South  and  we  were  afraid  she 
might  kill  you." 

One  day  the  boy  said,  "I  am  traveling.  I  am  on  my 
way  to  war.    I  cannot  stay  here  any  longer." 

The  women  urged  and  coaxed,  but  the  boy  wouldn't 
listen  to  them.  He  started  off.  After  a  while,  he  came 
to  a  lake.  As  he  stood  looking  at  the  water  and  wonder- 
ing how  he  could  get  to  the  other  side,  he  remembered 
that  once  he  had  had  the  power  of  flying  and  he  said  in 
his  mind,  "I  will  see  if  I  have  that  power  now."  Taking 
his  own  form,  he  went  back  a  short  distance,  then  ran 
forward  and  as  his  feet  struck  the  water  he  gave  a  spring 
and  went  into  the  air.  He  came  down  and  as  he  touched 
the  water,  he  sprang  again,  going  forward  somewhat.  In 
this  way  he  traveled  two  days  and  nights,  then  reached 
land.  He  wTas  hungry.  As  he  looked  for  game,  he  hap- 
pened to  think  of  his  belt  and  that  the  man  who  gave  it 
to  him  promised  to  help  him. 

Then  he  said,  "I  wish  my  grandfather  would  send  me 
a  deer." 

That  minute  a  deer  was  in  sight.  Flying-squirrel  killed 
it,  then  built  a  fire  and  roasted  some  of  the  meat.  He  ate 
and  was  satisfied,  thanked  his  grandfather  and  went  on 
through  a  forest. 

One  morning  he  saw  a  light  ahead  and  soon  he  came  to 
a  large  opening.  At  one  side  of  the  opening  was  a  village. 
Flying-squirrel  went  to  the  village  and  found  that  the 
people  who  lived  there  were  the  people  who  had  summoned 
him  to  war.  The  chief  said  to  the  warriors,  who  stood 
around,  *  *  You  must  test  the  strength  of  this  man. ' ' 

The  warriors  ran  at  Flying-squirrel,  struck  him  with 
their  clubs  and  knocked  him  down,  but  he  sprang  up  and 
fought  with  them,  fought  till  he  had  conquered  them  all, 


FLYING  SQUIRREL  AND  SEASONS    267 

though  he  had  only  his  hands  to  fight  with.    These  people 
were  Robins. 

The  chief  of  the  Robins  said  to  Flying-squirrel,  "I  see 
that  you  have  great  power.  In  the  center  of  our  village 
is  a  pole  covered  with  ice.  Whoever  climbs  to  the  top  of 
that  pole  may  marry  my  daughter.  To-morrow  the  people 
will  assemble  and  each  man  will  try  to  climb  the  pole." 

Flying-squirrel  went  to  a  hut  at  the  edge  of  the  village 
and  asked  shelter  of  an  old  woman  who  lived  there  with 
her  granddaughter. 

"I  have  nothing  to  eat,"  said  the  woman. 

"I  don't  want  food,"  said  Flying-squirrel. 

She  gave  him  a  place  to  sleep.  The  next  morning  there 
was  plenty  of  meat  in  the  hut.  Flying-squirrel  had  wished 
for  it. 

He  went  to  the  center  of  the  village,  where  many  people 
were  assembled,  and  just  at  midday  the  chief  said,  "The 
time  has  come." 

One  man  after  another  tried  to  climb  the  pole.  The 
first  man  went  only  a  short  distance,  the  second  went  a 
little  farther,  the  third  went  still  farther,  and  so  on  till 
all  had  tried  and  had  fallen  back.  Then  Flying-squirrel 
walked  up  to  the  pole,  spat  on  his  hands  and  began  to 
climb.  He  went  up  easily,  got  to  the  top  and  called  out, 
"Shall  I  go  farther?" 

"No.    Come  down,"  said  the  chief. 

The  chief  thanked  the  young  man,  and  said,  ' '  My  daugh- 
ter is  your  wife." 

The  people  were  angry.  They  caught  Flying-squirrel, 
took  him  to  a  hole  between  high  rocks  and  fastened  him 
in.  He  made  a  motion  with  his  hand ;  the  rocks  fell  away. 
"Why  should  I  stay  here,"  thought  he,  "I  will  claim  my 
wife." 

Another  man  had  claimed  the  chief's  daughter.  Flying- 
squirrel  caught  that  man  by  the  hair  and  cut  off  his  head. 
The  dead  man's  friends  seized  Flying-squirrel,  tied  him 
and  took  him  back  to  the  hole  in  the  rocks.  When  they 
found  the  rocks  were  destroyed,  they  took  him  to  a  second 
hole  and  fastened  him  in  securely.  He  moved  his  hands 
and  the  rocks  fell  apart. 
Flying-squirrel  went  to  the  chief's  house,  and  said,  "The 


268  SENECA    MYTHS 

next  time  your  people  seize  me,  I  will  destroy  everybody 
in  this  village." 

Now  the  people  decided  to  kill  Flying-squirrel  by  burn- 
ing him.  They  piled  up  a  great  many  logs  and  dead  limbs, 
leaving  a  hole  in  the  center  of  the  pile.  They  caught 
Flying-squirrel,  tied  him  up  in  a  bundle,  dropped  him 
into  the  hole  and  set  fire  to  the  pile. 

''These  people  mean  to  burn  me  up/'  thought  Flying- 
squirrel.  "I'll  wait  till  the  fire  gets  to  burning,  blazing 
up  high."  After  a  while  he  moved  slightly;  the  cords 
that  bound  him  loosened  and  fell  off.  He  moved  again; 
fire  and  cinders  flew  in  every  direction. 

Flying-squirrel  went  to  the  chief's  house  and  said  to 
his  wife,  "I  warned  your  father  of  what  I  would  do  if 
the  people  seized  me  again.    Now  I  will  destroy  you  all." 

The  woman  screamed  and  begged.  When  the  chief  came 
to  see  what  the  trouble  was,  she  said,  "My  husband  is 
going  to  destroy  you  and  all  of  our  people." 

The  chief  begged  him  not  to  do  this,  called  him  friend, 
and  said  that  he  did  not  know  what  the  people  were  doing, 
that  on  the  morrow  war  would  begin.  At  last  Flying- 
squirrel  forgot  his  anger. 

The  warriors  were  to  start  at  midday.  Flying-squirrel 
did  not  wait  for  them.  Early  in  the  morning  he  set  out 
alone.  On  the  way  he  came  to  a  large  flat  stone.  He  sat 
down  on  the  stone,  then  ground  it  to  dust  with  his  bass- 
wood  club.  Taking  a  handful  of  the  dust  he  threw  it  West, 
in  the  direction  of  the  enemy's  country.  The  dust  became 
a  cloud  and  then  a  whirlwind  and  Flying-squirrel  went 
with  it — he  was  in  the  center  of  the  whirlwind. 

As  the  whirlwind  approached  the  enemy's  village,  Fly- 
ing-squirrel saw  a  great  many  warriors  sitting  near  a 
large  mound.  These  warriors  were  of  the  Ant  family. 
When  Flying-squirrel  reached  the  mound,  he  plunged 
into  the  ground;  the  whirlwind  following  him.  He  ran 
North  and  South,  went  from  one  end  of  the  mound  to 
the  other.  The  whirlwind  killed  every  man  that  it  passed, 
threw  the  dirt  into  the  air  and  leveled  the  mound. 

Then  Flying-squirrel  saw  another  mound  lower  than 
the  first  but  longer;  he  plunged  into  it  and  was  half  way 


FLYING  SQUIRREL  AND  SEASONS    269 

through  when  the  chief  of  the  Ants  and  his  warriors  came 
and  seeing  what  was  taking  place  began  to  fight.  Flying- 
squirrel  defended  himself,  used  all  his  strength  and  swift- 
ness. Just  at  midday  the  whirlwind  died  down  and  Flying- 
squirrel  was  left  to  struggle  alone. 

The  top  of  the  mound  fell  off.  Then  the  battle  was  out 
in  the  open.  Other  warriors  came  to  help  their  chief, 
but  soon  Robin  and  his  men  came  up  and  with  Flying- 
squirrel's  help,  they  defeated  the  enemy,  then  the  chief 
said  to  Flying-squirrel,  "You  are  free  now,  what  we  called 
you  for  is  accomplished." 

Flying-squirrel  went  to  the  chief's  daughter,  and  said, 
"Get  ready,  we  will  go  home." 

They  started  but  after  one  day's  journey  they  were 
overtaken  by  the  woman's  people.  The  woman  was  killed, 
but  Flying-squirrel  got  away,  changed  to  an  eagle,  went 
to  his  grandmother's  house,  and  then  took  his  own  form. 
He  looked  so  old  that  his  grandmother  didn't  know 
him.  She  asked,  "Who  are  you  and  where  did  you  come 
from?" 

When  he  told  her  who  he  was  she  was  glad  that  he  had 
come.  He  said,  "I  am  going  to  my  own  home.  I  have  a 
wife  and  children." 

When  he  started,  he  changed  to  a  deer  and  ran  with 
great  swiftness,  but  all  at  once  he  was  in  a  hunting  camp. 
The  hunters  sprang  up  and  followed  him,  but  he  was  so 
swift  that  after  a  while  they  gave  up  and  turned  back. 

Flying-squirrel  came  to  a  lake  and  stopped.  He  didn't 
know  how  to  get  to  the  other  side.  He  forgot  his  belt. 
He  started  to  walk  around  the  lake.  The  cliff  .grew  higher 
and  higher.  He  went  along  the  edge  of  the  cliff  till  he 
came  to  loose  earth,  then  he  slipped  and  fell.  As  he  fell 
he  thought,  "If  I  were  a  bird,  I  could  save  myself." 

That  minute  he  was  an  eagle.  He  flew  high  and  far. 
Then  looking  down  he  recognized  the  place  he  was  passing, 
and  coming  to  the  ground  he  took  his  own  form.  Going 
cautiously  toward  a  house  he  looked  through  a  crack  and 
saw  an  old  man  smoking.  As  he  looked,  the  old  man 
called  out,  "Come  in,  Nephew.  Why  do  you  stand  out- 
side?" 


270  SENECA    MYTHS 

"I  have  found  my  uncle,"  said  Flying-squirrel,  laugh- 
ing.   ' '  I  will  go  in  and  see  what  he  wants. ' ' 

"You  have  been  gone  a  long  time,"  said  the  old  man. 
"Now  we  will  play  ball." 

"That  is  the  game  I  amuse  myself  with,"  said  Flying- 
squirrel. 

The  old  man's  ball  was  a  head,  the  clubs  were  sticks 
split  at  the  end  and  tied  apart  with  bark  strings.  They 
put  their  clubs  against  the  head.  It  went  toward  the  old 
man's  inning.  Both  ran  after  it.  Flying-squirrel  got  the 
ball  and  hitting  it  a  blow  with  the  butt  of  his  club,  said, 
"You  don't  know  how  to  play  ball." 

The  ball  went  to  Flying-squirrel's  inning  and  he  won 
the  game.    The  old  man  begged  for  a  few  puffs  of  smoke. 

"You'll  not  get  them,"  said  Flying-squirrel.  "I  would 
not  have  asked  for  them  if  you  had  won,"  and  he  cut  off 
the  old  man's  head. 

Flying-squirrel  traveled  on  till  he  heard  voices.  Then, 
hiding  behind  a  stump,  he  listened. 

A  woman  said,  "My  husband  must  be  dead,  if  he  were 
alive  he  would  come  home." 

A  second  woman  said,  "Don't  cry,  my  son  wants  you 
for  a  wife.    I  think  your  husband  has  another  wife." 

Flying-squirrel  made  himself  invisible  and  followed  the 
woman.  He  heard  the  younger  one  promise  to  marry  the 
elder  one's  son.  Then  the  two  parted.  The  younger  woman 
was  Flying-squirrel's  wife. 

Flying-squirrel  entered  the  house  with  his  wife.  While 
she  and  the  children  were  eating,  he  made  a  noise.  "When 
she  turned  to  see  what  caused  the  noise,  he  caught  up  a 
piece  of  meat  and  threw  it  at  her.  She  thought  her  daugh- 
ter threw  the  meat,  and  catching  up  a  club  she  began  to 
beat  the  girl. 

Then  Flying-squirrel  took  his  own  form,  and  asked, 
"Why  do  you  beat  the  children?    I  threw  the  meat." 

The  woman  was  frightened  and  she  promised  never  to 
strike  the  children  again.  Right  away  she  sent  her  daugh- 
ter to  tell  the  old  woman  that  Flying-squirrel  had  come 
home. 

Now  Flying-squirrel  and  his  wife  settled  down  in  peace. 
Flying-squirrel  had  the  belt  given  him  by  the  red-haired 


FLYING  SQUIRREL  AND  SEASONS    271 

man  so  he  always  had  great  power,  and  food  was  never 
lacking  in  his  house. 

The  four  men   described   as   coming   from   the   North, 
South,  East  and  West  are  said  to  personify  the  Seasons. 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  YELLOWBIRD 


Characters 


Ganyuqdjidji  Yellowbird 

GAinsonHE' Daddy-long-legs 

Donyakdane Inchworm 

Ganyaqde11  Hanowa  Mud-turtle 

Dadahwat Beaver 

Hanisheono11    Muck- worm 

Donyonda   Eagle 

Nyagwaihe The  Ancient  of  Bears 

Nosgwais Toad 

Djisdaa   Grasshopper 


A  MAN  and  his  wife  and  children  lived  in  a  little  house 
in  the  woods.  They  were  destitute  and  had  nothing 
to  eat  but  the  scraps  and  pieces  the  man  earned  in  the 
village. 

One  day  the  father  said  to  his  eldest  son,  "You  are  old 
enough  now  to  work.  Go  to  the  village  and  ask  the  chief 
if  he  has  anything  for  you  to  do. ' ' 

The  boy  had  a  little  dog  that  he  called  Yellowbird  (the 
dog  was  a  bird).  After  he  had  named  the  dog  his  family 
called  him  by  the  dog's  name. 

The  chief  of  the  village  was  Daddy-long-legs.  When 
the  boy  asked  for  work,  the  chief  said,  "Stay  with  me.  I 
will  give  you  work  to  do." 

The  chief  grew  so  fond  of  the  young  man  that  after  a 
time  he  gave  him  his  youngest  daughter  for  a  wife. 

One  day  Yellowbird  said  to  his  wife,  "I  am  going  away 

272 


ADVENTURES    OF    YELLOWBIRD     273 

for  a  while,  I  want  to  see  who  is  in  the  world."  And 
starting  toward  the  South  he  traveled  all  day.  When  night 
came  he  lay  down  under  a  tree  and  slept. 

Yellowbird  traveled  eight  days.  Then  he  began  to  feel 
weak  and  hungry,  but  he  was  in  a  forest  and  there  were 
no  signs  of  anyone  living  near,  so  he  walked  on.  After 
a  while  he  saw,  off  in  the  distance,  a  black  object.  When 
he  came  nearer  he  found  it  was  a  bear  asleep  on  the  ground. 
Yellowbird  had  neither  a  knife  nor  a  bow,  but  looking 
around  he  saw  a  heavy  stone.  He  picked  it  up  and  creep- 
ing near  he  threw  it  at  the  bear's  head.  The  bear  straight- 
ened out  and  died. 

Then  Yellowbird  hunted  for  a  piece  of  flint  to  skin 
the  bear  with.  Not  finding  flint  he  took  a  sharp-edged 
stone.  When  he  had  the  skin  off,  he  began  to  wonder 
how  he  could  start  a  fire.  He  didn't  want  to  eat  raw  meat. 
He  hunted  for  a  rotten  log  and  when  he  found  one  he 
got  punk  out  of  it.  Then  he  struck  stones  together  till 
sparks  flew.  With  the  sparks  he  lighted  the  punk  and 
soon  he  had  a  good  fire.  Then  he  roasted  pieces  of  meat 
and  ate  heartily. 

Now  Yellowbird  made  up  his  mind  to  gather  a  pile 
of  wood  and  stay  there  in  the  woods  as  long  as  he  had 
anything  to  eat.  He  rested  a  good  many  days.  Then, 
when  nothing  was  left  of  the  bear,  he  started  on. 

He  had  traveled  a  long  time  and  was  getting  weak  and 
hungry  when  he  saw,  in  the  distance,  something  that  looked 
as  if  a  tree  were  on  the  ground  and  the  roots  were  sticking 
up.  When  nearer,  he  saw  it  was  a  buck.  He  killed  the 
buck  as  he  had  killed  the  bear,  and  making  a  fire,  roasted 
some  of  the  flesh  and  ate  it. 

Yellowbird  stayed  there  in  the  forest  till  he  had  eaten 
the  buck,  then  he  started  on.  After  many  days,  when  he 
was  again  getting  weak  and  hungry,  and  was  wondering 
how  he  was  to  get  something  to  eat,  he  saw  a  smoke  off  in 
the  woods.  "Someone  must  have  a  hunting  camp  there," 
thought  he. 

When  near  the  smoke  he  crept  along  carefully,  then, 
not  seeing  anyone,  he  went  boldly  to  the  fire.  Over  the 
fire  was  a  kettle  and  in  the  kettle  bear's  meat  was  cooking. 
Yellowbird  took  the  kettle  off  from  the  fire,  cooled  the 


274  SENECA   MYTHS 

meat  and  ate  all  he  wanted.  Then  he  hurried  on  for  he 
was  afraid  that,  when  the  owner  of  the  meat  found  it  had 
been  stolen,  he  would  track  the  thief.  When  night  came, 
Yellowbird  lay  down  under  a  tree.  Soon  he  heard  dry 
leaves  rattle  and  he  thought,  ' i  The  man  whose  meat  I  stole 
is  tracking  me." 

The  sound  came  nearer  till  at  last  someone  stopped  by 
the  tree.  The  young  man  didn't  speak.  After  a  while  a 
woman  said,  "Well,  Yellowbird,  are  you  going  to  stay 
here  all  night  V 

"I  am,"  answered  Yellowbird. 

"I  have  come  to  keep  you  from  being  lonely." 

The  young  man  recognized  his  wife's  voice,  and  he  was 
glad  that  she  had  come. 

"I  told  you,"  said  the  woman,  "that  I  should  follow 
you.  Hereafter  I  shall  be  with  you.  You'll  not  see  me, 
but  when  you  come  to  a  fire  and  find  food  cooking  you 
must  not  think  that  it  doesn't  belong  to  you.  I  shall  be 
the  cause  of  it.  I  shall  be  with  my  father  in  the  daytime 
and  with  you  at  night." 

Yellowbird  was  a  great  many  days'  journey  from  the 
chief's  village,  but  this  woman  could  travel  as  fast  as 
thought;  wherever  her  thoughts  went  there  she  was. 

Before  daylight,  the  woman  rose  and  began  cooking. 
When  the  food  was  ready,  she  awakened  Yellowbird.  They 
ate  together,  then  all  at  once  the  woman  was  gone. 

Yellowbird  traveled  till  midday,  then  he  saw  a  smoke 
and  going  toward  it  found  a  fire  and  cooked  food.  He 
ate  all  he  wanted,  gave  thanks  and  traveled  on. 

Just  as  the  sun  went  down,  Yellowbird  saw  smoke 
ahead  and  soon  he  came  to  a  small  house.  Going  in  he 
found  a  kettle  of  meat  boiling  over  the  fire.  The  meat 
wasn't  quite  cooked  so  he  sat  down  and  watched  it.  He 
thought,  "Maybe  this  meat  belongs  to  someone  else,"  but 
when  it  was  done  he  took  it  out  of  the  kettle  and  cooled  it. 

Just  as  he  was  ready  to  eat  he  heard  footsteps.  "Now 
I'm  caught,"  thought  he.  He  sat  with  meat  in  one  hand 
and  liver  in  the  other,  and  listened.  The  footsteps  stopped 
outside  the  door  and  a  rap  came ;  the  man  didn  't  answer ; 
another  rap,  he  didn't  answer.  He  put  the  liver  and  meat 
into  the  kettle  and  crept  under  a  bunk  that  was  there. 


ADVENTURES   OF   YELLOWBIRD      275 

The  skin  door  was  pushed  aside  and  a  woman  came  in. 
She  laughed,  and  asked,  "Why  are  you  afraid  of  me? 
I  've  come  to  keep  you  from  being  lonely. ' ' 

"I  wasn't  afraid,"  said  Yellowbird,  coming  from  under 
the  bunk,  "I  saw  a  mouse  and  thought  I  would  catch  it." 

They  ate  and  then  slept.  Before  daylight  food  was 
ready.     They  ate,  and  the  woman  disappeared. 

At  midday  Yellowbird  saw  smoke  ahead  and  when  he 
came  to  the  fire  found  food  ready,  hulled  corn  and  veni- 
son. He  ate,  gave  thanks  and  went  on.  He  didn't  know 
how  far  or  where  he  was  going.  At  night  he  again  found 
a  house,  and  food  ready.  When  he  was  about  to  eat  some- 
one came  to  the  door.  Yellowbird  forgot  the  chief's 
daughter.  He  was  frightened,  and  thought,  "The  owner 
of  the  house  has  come,  he'll  kill  me."  And  taking  up  a 
club  he  went  to  the  door  to  hit  the  man  as  he  came  in. 
When  the  chief's  daughter  pushed  the  door  open,  Yellow- 
bird threw  the  club  down. 

The  woman  said,  "I  think  you  were  going  to  kill  me?" 

"I  was  not,  I  was  trying  to  kill  a  mouse." 

They  ate  and  slept.  Before  daylight  food  was  ready. 
They  ate  again,  then  the  woman  disappeared  and  the 
young  man  went  on.  At  midday  he  found  food  prepared 
for  him.  In  the  evening  he  came  to  a  hut  and  went  in. 
He  stirred  the  fire  and  watched  the  kettle.  When  the  meat 
was  cooked,  he  took  the  kettle  off  the  fire  and  was  about 
to  eat  a  piece  of  meat  when  he  heard  a  noise  outside.  Again 
he  forgot  the  chief's  daughter  and  when  a  woman  called, 
"Are  you  asleep?"  he  didn't  answer. 

"Can  I  come  in?"  asked  she. 

"Who  are  you?    Where  did  you  come  from?"  asked  he. 

"I  came  from  the  North." 

After  a  long  time  Yellowbird  said,  "Come  in." 

The  woman  came  in,  laughing,  and  said,  "It  grows 
harder  and  harder  to  get  to  you.    Why  is  this?" 

"When  I  first  came  here,"  said  Yellowbird,  "people 
attacked  me.    I  thought  they  had  come  back." 

The  woman  laughed.  She  knew  why  he  didn't  remem- 
ber her.  The  next  morning,  while  they  were  eating,  she 
said,  "At  midday  you  will  come  to  an  opening  and  a  long 
flat.    The  flat  is  guarded  by  women.    Just  before  midday 


276  SENECA    MYTHS 

you  will  find  food  ready.  After  eating,  creep  up  to  the 
edge  of  the  opening  and  watch.  If  the  women  are  in 
groups,  run  to  a  large  hickory  tree  on  the  opposite  side 
of  the  flat.  When  in  the  middle  of  the  flat,  call  out,  (Gowe! 
Gowe!    I'm  bound  to  run  away.'  " 

Yellowbird  started.  Just  before  midday  he  came  to  a 
fire  and  found  meat  cooking.  He  took  the  kettle,  off, 
cooled  the  meat  and  ate  as  fast  as  he  could,  then  he  hurried 
along.  Exactly  at  midday  he  came  to  the  edge  of  an  open- 
ing and  saw  women  sitting  around  here  and  there  in 
groups.  They  were  eating.  He  saw  the  hickory  tree  and 
ran  toward  it.  No  one  noticed  him.  When  he  came  to 
the  middle  of  the  flat  he  shouted,  "Gowe!  Gowe!  I'm 
bound  to  run  away." 

The  women,  who  were  of  the  White  Heron  family,  sprang 
up  and  ran  after  him.  They  almost  overtook  him  before 
he  reached  the  woods  on  the  other  side  of  the  opening. 
The  chief's  daughter  was  there  to  encourage  and  praise 
him.  She  said,  "I  shall  come  to  you  to-night  for  the  last 
time."  He  left  her  and  continued  his  journey.  At  sunset 
he  saw  a  cabin,  went  in,  and  found  food  cooking.  He 
poured  the  meat  into  a  bark  bowl  and  was  ready  to  eat 
when  he  heard  the  rustle  of  dry  leaves.  He  listened,  and 
thought,  "The  Heron  women  are  coming  to  kill  me." 

This  time  the  chief's  daughter  didn't  rap,  she  called 
out,  "I've  come  to  visit  you." 

Yellowbird  seized  a  club,  held  it  up  ready  to  strike,  then 
said,  "Well,  come  in!" 

When  he  saw  his  wife  he  sprang  back  and  dropped  the 
club. 

She  said,  "You  were  going  to  strike  me." 

1 1 1  was  not.  I  was  trying  to  hit  a  mouse, ' '  said  Yellow- 
bird. 

The  woman  laughed.  They  ate  and  then  lay  down  but 
didn't  sleep.  They  talked  all  night.  The  woman  said, 
1 '  This  is  the  last  time  you  will  see  me.  Hereafter  another 
person  will  care  for  you.  You  must  travel  in  the  same 
direction.     Your  happiness  is  at  the  end  of  this  trail." 

Before  daylight  the  chief's  daughter  cooked  a  large 
quantity  of  food. — Food  was  always  at  hand.  We  are  not 
told  how  it  came  to  be  there. 


ADVENTURES    OF    YELLOWBIRD     277 

While  eating  she  said,  "To-morrow  at  midday  you  will 
come  to  a  pond  of  bright  water.  On  the  bank  you'll  find 
a  tree  turned  up  by  the  roots.  Go  around  the  roots  and 
pick  up  a  bark  basket  that  you'll  find  there.  Fill  the 
basket  with  water  and  go  on  till  you  come  to  a  village. 
The  chief  of  that  village  has  a  great  deal  of  wampum. 
Sell  him  the  water  for  wampum,  then  say  that  you'll  leave 
the  wampum  in  his  care  for  a  while.  Take  only  one  string. 
Stay  a  day  and  a  night,  then  go  on.  After  three  days' 
travel,  you  will  come  to  a  wide  opening,  at  the  end  of  the 
opening  you  will  find  a  tree"  that  shines.  Pull  up  that  tree, 
take  it  with  you  to  the  next  village  and  sell  it  to  the 
chief.  My  protection  ends  here.  I'll  give  you  food  for 
to-day's  journey." 

When  the  food  was  ready,  Yellowbird  put  the  bundle 
on  his  back  and  started.  He  traveled  till  hungry,  then 
ate  and  went  on  again.  At  night  he  slept  under  a  tree. 
At  noon  the  next  day,  when  looking  for  a  resting  place, 
he  saw  something  so  bright  that  he  couldn't  look  at  it. 
When  near  he  saw  that  it  was  water  and  then  he  remem- 
bered what  the  chief's  daughter  had  said.  He  found  the 
basket  and  filled  it.  "This  is  strange  water,"  thought  he, 
but  he  traveled  on,  carrying  the  basket,  first  in  one  hand 
then  in  the  other,  till  he  came  to  a  village.  He  went  to  the 
chief's  house,  but  men  standing  there  wouldn't  let  him 
go  in. 

"I  must  go  straight  on,"  said  Yellowbird. 

"If  you  try  to  we'll  cut  off  your  head,"  said  the  men. 
"It's  the  rule  of  the  place." 

They  pulled  up  long  flint  knives  that  were  sticking  in 
the  ground,  and  were  about  to  cut  off  his  head  when  the 
chief  called  out,  ' '  Let  the  man  come  in ! " 

" Where  did  you  come  from?"  asked  the  chief. 

"From  the  North." 

"How  far  is  your  place  from  here?" 

"It  takes  many  days  to  go  there." 

"Do  you  know  a  man  whose  name  is  Daddy-long-legs?" 

Yellowbird  hung  his  head  in  thought,  then  a  voice 
seemed  to  say  to  him,  "Raise  your  head  and  tell  him,  the 
man  he  asks  about  is  the  father  of  the  woman  who  has 
protected  you  so  long,  your  own  father-in-law. ' ' 


278  SENECA    MYTHS 

Yellowbird  raised  his  head,  and  said,  "I  know  that 
chief.    I  came  from  his  village/ ' 

"Do  you  know  a  man  called  Inchworm?" 

"I  know  him.     He  is  my  father." 

"Do  you  think  you  will  ever  see  him  again?" 

"j  do  not." 

"If  you  do,  carry  him  this  message:  'His  mother  died 
here  two  days  ago.'  " 

When  Yellowbird  showed  the  shining  water,  the  chief 
said,  "I  have  wanted  to  find  this  water.  I  will  give 
you  many  strings  of  wampum  for  it.  Where  did  you  get 
it?" 

"From  the  Pond  of  Brightness,  not  far  from  here." 

The  chief  and  Yellowbird  went  to  that  pond  and  when 
they  came  back,  the  chief  said,  "I  am  glad  that  you  are 
Inchworm 's  son;  he  and  I  are  old  friends." 

The  next  morning  Yellowbird  said  to  the  chief,  "I  am 
going  away  and  I  want  to  leave  in  your  care  the  wampum 
you  have  given  me  for  the  bright  water.  I  will  take  but 
one  string  now." 

' '  Very  well, ' '  said  the  chief,  and  he  gave  him  one  string. 

The  young  man  continued  his  journey.  The  first  night 
he  slept  where  darkness  overtook  him;  the  second  night 
he  slept  in  a  hollow  tree;  the  third  night  he  camped  in  a 
hole  in  the  rocks. 

The  fourth  morning  he  had  gone  but  a  short  distance, 
when  he  came  to  an  opening  in  the  forest  and  saw  just 
ahead  a  shining  tree.  When  he  came  to  the  tree,  he 
pushed  it  over,  then  picked  it  up,  put  it  across  his  shoulder 
and  went  on  till  he  came  to  a  village.  He  went  to  the 
chief's  house  and  stood  outside  till  the  chief  called  to  him 
to  come  in. 

"Who  are  you  and  why  have  you  come?"  asked  the 
chief. 

"I  have  come  to  sell  this  tree,"  said  Yellowbird. 

"I  will  give  you  wampum  for  that  tree.  I'll  give  you 
my  daughter  and  still  more  wampum  if  you  will  go  with 
me  to  the  place  where  you  found  the  tree. ' ' 

Yellowbird  agreed  and  the  two  went  to  the  place,  and 
in  the  hole  where  the  tree  had  been  they  found  bright 
dirt  and  stones. 


ADVENTURES    OF   YELLOWBIRD     279 

The  chief  said,  " There  are  men  who  call  these  'the  eye- 
breaker  stones.'  " 

Yellowbird  married  the  chief's  daughter. 

After  a  while  he  said  to  her,  "I  want  to  go  to  my  father's 
village. ' ' 

"I  will  go  with  you,"  said  the  woman. 

They  started.  When  they  came  to  the  flat  guarded  by 
the  Heron  women  they  stole  to  the  middle  of  the  flat,  then 
called  out,  "Gowe!  Gowel  We  are  bound  to  run  away." 
And  they  got  to  the  opposite  side  of  the  flat  before  the 
Herons  overtook  them. 

When  Yellowbird  came  to  his  father's  home,  neither 
his  father  nor  his  mother  knew  him. 

His  mother  said,  "Our  house  is  too  poor  for  you." 

' '  I  went  out  of  it  to  work  for  the  chief, ' '  said  the  young 
man. 

Then  the  mother  recognized  her  son  and  was  glad  to 
see  him. 

The  young  man  gave  his  father  a  string  of  wampum,  and 
said,  "Buy  food  with  it,  and  get  men  to  make  me  a  bark 
house. ' ' 

When  the  house  was  finished  Yellowbird  opened  the 
door  and  threw  in  a  string  of  wampum,  then  he  closed  the 
door  and  went  away.  The  next  morning  there  were  a 
great  many  strings  of  wampum  in  the  house,  they  had 
come  from  his  father-in-law's  house. 

After  many  moons,  a  runner  came  to  notify  Yellowbird 
that  a  woman  who  lived  on  an  island  in  a  lake  wanted  him 
to  come  to  her,  and  said  if  he  didn't  come  he  would  lose 
his  head. 

Yellowbird  was  grieved,  he  didn't  want  to  leave  his 
wife  and  children,  but  that  night  he  started  toward  the 
South,  running  as  fast  as  he  could.  When  he  came  to  the 
edge  of  the  lake,  he  said,  "Now  is  the  time  to  show  my 
power  to  run  on  water." 

He  started,  and  he  ran  on  the  water  as  fast  as  he  had 
on  land.  When  he  was  near  the  middle  of  the  lake,  he 
bent  his  head  down,  didn't  look  forward — the  woman  on 
the  island  made  him  do  this.  When  she  found  that  he 
was  coming  on  the  water,  she  threw  a  pebble  telling  it  to 


280  SENECA    MYTHS 

go  straight  in  front  of  the  man  and  become  a  rock  so 
high  and  long  that  he  couldn't  pass  over  it  or  go  around  it. 

Yellowbird,  with  head  bent  down,  was  running  very 
fast.  He  struck  the  rock,  fell  back  in  the  water  and  was 
drowned.  High  waves  rolled  up  and  carried  him  in  the 
direction  from  which  he  came,  and  toward  night  his  body 
was  thrown  on  shore. 

The  Ancient  of  Bears  came,  looked  at  the  body,  and 
said,  ''This  man  is  like  the  brother  of  Turtle,  the  man 
who  always  says,  'If  my  brother  is  destroyed,  I  will  put 
an  end  to  this  world.'    I  must  bring  the  man  to  life. ' ' 

The  Ancient  of  Bears  worked  over  Yellowbird,  used  all 
of  his  power,  and  at  last  brought  him  to  life. 

"You  are  alive,"  said  Bear  when  Yellowbird  opened 
his  eyes.  ' '  Now  you  must  go  East,  to  the  end  of  the  world. 
Your  brother  lives  there.  You  must  pacify  him.  If  you 
don't  he  will  destroy  us.  Take  one  of  my  teeth;  it  will 
help  you  to  go  quickly.  You  must  hurry,  for  your  brother 
is  angry,  he  thinks  that  someone  has  killed  you." 

While  they  stood  talking  they  heard  a  great  roar  and 
far  off  in  the  East  they  saw  a  column  of  fire  shoot  up  and 
spread  out  over  the  country. 

"Hurry!"  said  the  Ancient  of  Bears.  "If  you  don't, 
he  will  destroy  us!" 

Yellowbird  ran  and  his  speed  was  so  great  that  he 
seemed  to  fly.  When  he  came  to  the  edge  of  the  world 
where  the  fire  was,  he  saw  a  dark  figure  pushing  its  head 
forward. 

"My  brother,"  called  he,  "I  want  you  to  stop  being 
angry,  I  am  alive." 

"If  you  are  my  brother,"  said  Turtle,  "you  must  sing 
our  war  song  and  cross  the  world  four  times." 

The  young  man  ran  to  the  end  of  the  world  and  back  to 
his  brother.  The  force  of  the  flame  coming  up  from  below 
the  edge  of  the  earth  began  to  diminish.  He  ran  a  second 
time  and  back :  the  flame  was  dying  down.  When  he  came 
back  the  fourth  time,  the  fire  was  out. 

Turtle  said,  "Thank  you,  Brother.  Now  I  want  you  to 
tell  me  where  the  thing  is  that  I  gave  you  long  ago." 

* l  When  did  you  give  it  to  me  ?    What  was  it  I " 

"I  gave  it  to  you  when  you  were  born." 


ADVENTURES    OF    YELLOWBIRD     281 

"Maybe  my  mother  is  keeping  it  for  me,"  said  Yellow- 
bird.    "I'll  go  and  get  it." 

"Have  you  anything  to  help  you  run  faster  than  you 
do  now?"  asked  Turtle. 

"I  have  not." 

"I'll  give  you  power  to  go  so  fast  that  as  soon  as  you 
think  of  a  place  you  will  be  there.  And  you  shall  have 
the  power  of  turning  yourself  into  anything  you  like." 

He  gave  him  a  small  piece  of  something  like  flesh,  and 
said,  "When  you  want  to  use  this  put  it  in  your  mouth. 
Now  go  as  fast  as  you  can. ' ' 

Yellowbird  put  the  thing  in  his  mouth  and  started. 
Right  away  he  was  at  his  father's  house,  and  going  in  he 
asked  his  mother,  "Have  you  anything  that  my  brother 
gave  me  long  ago?" 

"I  have,"  said  she,  "Here  it  is,  I  have  never  thought 
of  it  till  now,"  and  she  gave  him  a  tiny  hand. 

Taking  the  hand,  Yellowbird  went  back  to  his  brother, 
who,  when  he  saw  the  hand  said,  "You  are  my  brother. 
Now  we  will  go  to  the  woman  on  the  island.  You  will  go 
ahead,  I  will  follow.  If  I  overtake  you,  I  will  cut  off  your 
head,  for  that  will  increase  yowr  speed." 

They  started  and  soon  the  elder  brother  began  to  gain 
on  the  younger.  When  he  was  about  to  overtake  him, 
Yellowbird  changed  to  a  deer  and  shot  ahead.  The  elder 
brother  changed  to  a  deer  and  had  almost  caught  up  when 
the  younger  brother  became  an  elk  and  ran  away  from  the 
deer.  They  held  on  in  this  way.  Whenever  Yellowbird 
neared  his  brother,  the  latter  changed  into  something,  and 
right  away  the  elder  brother  changed  too. 

When  they  came  to  the  edge  of  the  lake,  Yellowbird 
turned  into  a  bass  and  disappeared  in  the  water,  the  elder 
brother*  became  a  bass  too.  At  the  opposite  bank  Yellow- 
bird was  an  eel.  The  eel  touched  land  and  became  a 
man,  then  an  enormous  eel  sprang  to  land,  became  a 
man,  and  called,  "Stop,  Brother,  I  give  up,  you  have 
beaten  me.  The  woman  who  sent  for  you  is  chief  of  a 
village  not  far  from  here.  An  enormous  water  monster 
is  destroying  her  people.  She  wants  you  to  kill  the 
monster.     When  you  reach  her  village  I  will  be  there." 

Yellowbird  came  to  the  village  and  went  toward  the 


282  SENECA    MYTHS 

chief's  house,  but  two  men  stood  in  his  way.  When  they 
refused  to  let  him  pass,  he  drew  out  his  basswood  knife 
and  cut  off  their  heads.  He  went  into  the  house  and  said 
to  the  chief,  "lam  angry,  for  it  has  cost  me  much  labor  to 
come  here.    What  do  you  want?" 

"I  want  you  to  destroy  a  monster  that  is  killing  off  my 
people.  He  makes  rain  come,  and  he  can  bring  water  out 
of  the  lake  to  any  place  where  he  wants  to  kill  a  person. 
When  the  person  is  dead,  the  water  falls  back;  whomever 
the  water  touches  it  kills.  If  you  destroy  this  monster, 
you  shall  be  chief  in  my  place.' ' 

Early  in  the  morning  Yellowbird  and  the  chief  started 
for  the  lake.  The  villages  were  far  apart.  When  they 
came  to  the  last  village  the  woman  said,  "The  lake  is 
close  by.  I  will  stay  here  in  the  village.  I  don't  want 
Muck-worm  to  know  that  we  are  here;  he  is  a  bad  man." 

While  they  were  talking,  rain  began  to  fall.  The  woman 
was  frightened.    "This  will  kill  me,"  said  she.  . 

"It  is  nothing,"  said  Yellowbird,  and  he  went  through 
the  village  and  into  a  forest. 

Just  before  coming  to  an  opening  he  heard  a  whisper. 
He  looked  on  all  sides  but  could  see  no  one.  Again  he 
heard  some  one  whisper  and  turning  he  saw  his  brother. 

"Now,"  said  the  brother,  "You  must  use  all  the  power 
I  have  given  you.  The  only  way  to  destroy  the  monster 
is  to  go  to  the  lake  and  cut  off  its  head.  Bring  its  heart, 
tongue  and  claws  away  with  you." 

Yellowbird  went  to  the  lake.  The  place  where  the  lake 
had  been  was  covered  with  sand.  There  was  no  water  ex- 
cept in  the  center  where  there  was  a  hollow.  In  that  hollow 
lay  an  enormous  Beaver,  asleep.  Yellowbird  cut  the 
monster  open,  took  its  heart,  tongue  and  claws  and  ran  for 
his  life.  As  he  reached  the  forest  down  came  the  monster. 
It  leaped  toward  Yellowbird  and  barely  missed  him. 
Turtle  took  the  heart  and  pounded  it  to  jelly. 

Beaver  spoke  then  to  the  brothers,  and  said,  "You  have 
great  power,  you  have  overcome  and  destroyed  me." 

Beaver  went  back  to  the  hollow  in  the  sand  and  as  he 
went  the  forest  moved  up  on  both  sides  and  occupied  the 
place  where  the  lake  had  been. 

Turtle  said  to  his  brother,  ' '  Keep  the  claws,  but  give  the 


ADVENTURES    OF   YELLOWBIRD     283 

tongue  to  the  chief  as  a  proof  that  yon  have  destroyed 
the  monster.' ' 

The  woman  made  Yellowbird  chief  in  her  place  and 
became  his  wife. 

Yellowbird  changed  to  an  Eagle— his  new  wife  was  an 
Eagle.  He  went  high  in  the  air  and  when  he  came  to  the 
ground,  he  was  at  his  old  home  with  his  wife  and  children. 

One  day  he  sat  very  still  as  though  listening.  All  at 
once  he  said,  "Off  in  the  West  people  are  crying,  I  must 
find  out  what  is  troubling  them." 

The  next  morning  Yellowbird  started  off,  he  traveled 
all  day  and  at  night  crawled  into  a  hollow  tree. 

Soon  a  voice  asked,  "What  would  you  do  if  Whirlwind 
came  ? ' ' 

"I  would  be  pleased." 

The  speaker  went  away  and  soon  Yellowbird  heard 
heavy  wind  and  rain  coming  from  the  South.  Whirlwind 
leveled  the  trees  to  the  ground,  struck  the  tree  Yellow- 
bird was  in,  raised  it  up,  carried  it  away,  whirled  it  over 
and  over,  played  with  it.  Yellowbird  got  impatient ;  it  was' 
almost  morning,  still  he  was  whirling  through  the  air. 

At  last  the  tree  fell  into  the  sea  and  was  torn  to  pieces. 
Yellowbird  lay  on  one  of  the  boughs.  He  fastened  two 
or  three  boughs  together  and  sat  on  them  as  on  a  raft. 
The  water  rolled  up  big  waves,  "My  raft  will  go  to 
pieces  and  I'll  be  drowned,"  thought  he. 

Someone  laughed,  and  said,  "You  are  a  fool!  You 
don't  think  of  me,  even  when  you  are  in  trouble.  You 
know  that  I  am  always  behind  you,  waiting  to  hear  you  say, 
'I  wish  my  brother  were  here.'  Sit  on  my  back,  I'll  carry 
you  ashore." 

When  they  reached  shore,  Turtle  asked,  "Where  is 
what  I  gave  you?" 

"I  have  lost  it,"  said  Yellowbird. 

"No  you  haven't." 

When  Yellowbird  found  what  he  thought  he  had  lost, 
he  traveled  on  till  he  came  to  a  place  where  the  earth 
troubled  people.  It  became  soft,  heaved  up  and  rolled 
over  their  homes. 

Then  Yellowbird  said  to  himself,  "My  Brother,  I  wish 
you  were  here." 


284  SENECA    MYTHS 

That  minute  Turtle  was  at  his  side.  "I  thank  you," 
said  he,  ''for  thinking  of  me.  The  people  here  do  wrong. 
They  kill  and  eat  one  another.  If  they  will  cease  doing 
that,  they  will  have  no  more  trouble." 

Yellowbird  sent  a  runner  to  tell  the  people  to  assemble 
and  when  they  had  come  together,  he  said,  "You  kill  and 
eat  one  another.  If  you  will  promise  to  stop  doing  this, 
I  will  tell  the  earth  to  keep  still.  Yonder  is  a  great  forest 
in  which  there  are  wild  beasts.  Kill  those  beasts  and  use 
their  flesh  for  food." 

They  promised  to  do  as  he  told  them. 

"When  Yellowbird  was  about  to  start  for  home,  his  elder 
brother  stood  by  his  side,  and  said,  "On  your  way  home 
pay  no  heed  to  anyone." 

Yellowbird  traveled  four  days  and  then  came  to  his 
own  village.  He  had  not  been  at  home  long  when  a  runner 
came  to  notify  him  that  a  woman  chief  summoned  him 
to  be  in  her  village  at  midday.  He  rose  up  and  started.  As 
soon  as  he  was  out  of  sight  of  the  house,  he  changed  to  an 
eagle  and  flew  along  just  high  enough  to  see  what  was 
going  on  below.  "When  he  saw  a  lake,  he  dropped  down  to 
the  edge  of  the  water,  turned  to  a  duck  and  swam  to  the 
opposite  side.  Then  he  changed  to  a  man  and  traveled  on 
till  he  came  to  the  village. 

At  the  edge  of  the  village  was  a  cabin.  In  the  cabin 
lived  an  old  woman  and  her  granddaughter. 

When  Yellowbird  went  into  the  cabin,  the  old  woman 
asked,  ■ '  My  Grandson,  which  way  did  you  come ! ' ' 

1 '  From  beyond  the  lake. ' ' 

"Why  did  you  come?" 

"The  chief  of  the  village  sent  for  me.  I  came  because 
I  couldn't  help  coming." 

"My  Grandson,  I  pity  you,"  said  the  old  woman. 
"When  our  chief  hears  of  a  man  who  has  power,  she  sends 
for  him  and  gives  him  to  a  serpent  that  lives  in  the  lake. ' ' 

"Well,"  said  Yellowbird,  "if  I  am  overpowered,  your 
chief  and  all  of  her  people  will  be  destroyed,  my  brother 
will  come  and  punish  your  chief." 

At  midday  Yellowbird  went  to  the  chief's  house.  When 
he  saw  the  chief,  he  said,  "I  have  come.  What  do  you 
want  ?    I  am  angry,  for  you  called  me  from  my  work. ' ' 


ADVENTURES   OF   YELLOWBIRD     285 

1 '  I  want  you.  to  kill  a  snake  that  is  destroying  my 
people.  If  you  can  kill  it,  I  will  make  you  chief  in  my 
place.  You  can  try  now,  for  at  midday  the  snake  comes 
out  of  the  lake." 

As  Yellowbird  went  toward  the  lake,  the  water  began 
to  rise  and  soon  the  snake  appeared.  As  it  lay  on  the 
water  it  was  the  height  of  a  man.  When  it  reached  the 
shore  and  came  toward  Yellowbird,  he  turned  to  run. 
The  snake  caught  him  by  the  feet  and  drew  him  into  its 
throat  to  the  arms,  but  the  man  stretched  out  his  arms  and 
saved  himself  from  going  down.  The  snake  went  into 
the  water.  The  water  moved  away,  piled  up  on  both  sides 
and  left  the  snake  on  the  bottom  of  the  lake,  on  dry 
land. 

Then  over  his  head  somewhere  Yellowbird  heard  his 
brother  laugh,  and  say,  "My  Brother,  you  are  a  fool, 
When  you  saw  the  snake  coming,  you  should  have  thought 
of  me.     Exert  yourself !" 

Yellowbird  pulled  and  easily  got  loose,  then  he  ran 
between  the  walls  of  water,  the  snake  close  to  his  heels. 
When  he  reached  the  bank  the  water  closed  up.  The  elder 
brother  threw  a  white  flint  stone  at  the  snake's  head  and 
the  snake  rolled  over  dead.  The  water  heaved  up  till  it 
reached  the  village,  then  it  receded. 

Yellowbird  went  to  the  chief,  and  said,  "I  have  killed 
the  snake." 

She  thanked  him,  and  said,  "Now  you  are  chief  in  my 
place,"  but  she  was  not  pleased. 

Yellowbird  went  to  the  lake,  turned  to  a  duck  and 
swam  out  a  good  distance,  then  he  changed  to  an  eagle 
and  soon  was  at  home. 

Yellowbird  remained  with  his  wife  and  children  till  a 
runner  came  with  a  message  from  the  chief  of  the  village 
where  he  had  killed  the  Beaver.  She  said,  "Be  here  to- 
morrow at  midday." 

Yellowbird  did  not  change  his  form  but  he  ran  in  the 
air  till  he  came  to  a  lake.  He  was  running  over  the  lake, 
but  near  the  water,  when  he  struck  against  an  invisible 
object  and  was  thrown  back.  He  rose  again  and  ran  on, 
ran  swiftly  and  before  he  could  stop  he  was  in  a  tangle 
of  grape  vines.     He  bounded   back   and   fell.     He   was 


286  SENECA    MYTHS 

terribly  angry  and  as  he  rose  up,  he  said,  "Why  should  she 
send  for  me  and  then  try  to  prevent  my  coming?" 

He  reached  Eagle's  house,  rushed  in  and  said  to  her,  "I 
am  here  and  I  will  punish  you!" 

He  seized  the  woman  by  the  hair  and  cut  off  her  head, 
then  he  started  for  home.  When  well  on  the  way,  he  met 
a  beautiful,  smiling  woman,  who  asked,  "May  I  go  with 
you?" 

1 l  Don 't  bother  me, ' '  said  Yellowbird.    "lam  traveling. ' ' 

"Rest  a  while,"  said  the  woman. 

"I  will  not  stop.  If  you  speak  to  me  again,  I  will  cut 
off  your  head." 

1 '  Oh,  stop  and  talk, ' '  begged  the  woman. 

Yellowbird  turned,  and  seizing  the  woman  by  the  hair, 
cut  off  her  head.  Then  he  went  on  till  he  came  to  his  own 
village. 

One  day,  after  Yellowbird  had  been  at  home  a  long 
time,  he  heard  a  terrible  noise  and  going  out  saw  that  the 
earth  was  cracking  open  here  and  there.  It  cracked  more 
and  more,  opened  great  ditches.  All  at  once  a  man  ap- 
peared in  the  air,  and  said,  "You  are  frightened.  You 
think  you  and  your  people  are  going  to  die.  You  will  not. 
Follow  me." 

Then  Yellowbird  #rose  in  the  air  and  the  two  traveled 
southward  followed*  by  all  of  Yellowbird 's  people.  As 
they  looked  back,  they  saw  the  village,  where  Yellowbird 
had  been,  sink  out  of  sight  and  water  rise  'up  there.  Then 
the  head  of  Turtle  came  from  under  the  water  and  he 
called  out,  ltGowe!  Gowe!    This  is  the  kind  of  man  I  am." 

The  guide,  whom  Yellowbird  and  his  people  were  fol- 
lowing, said,  "Your  brother  is  angry  because  you  killed 
the  Eagle  woman.  To  show  his  power  he  has  destroyed 
everything. ' ' 

They  traveled  on  till  the  air  was  fragrant.  They  saw 
beautiful  ripe  berries,  and  then  houses  where  people  lived. 
One  house  was  larger  than  the  others. 

The  guide  said,  "The  man  of  controlling  power  lives 
there." 

They  went  on  and  on  till  they  came  to  a  village  that 
Yellowbird  recognized.    It  was  his  native  village. 

The  guide  said,  "Now  you  are  at  home,  and  safe." 


ADVENTURES    OF    YELLOWBIRD     287 

The  people  went  into  their  houses  and  found  everything, 
as  it -seemed  to  them,  exactly  as  they  had  left  it — But  this 
village  was  above  the  Blue.  Their  guide  was  the  man  of 
the  Blue. 

Yellowbird,  though  he  was  called  after  his  dog,  was 
not  a  bird;  he  was  an  inchworm.  His  first  wife  was  a 
grasshopper. 


THE  YOUNG  WOMAN  AND  THUNDER 

[Told  by  George  Titus] 


Characters 


Othagweddonis  Flintmaker 

Odhdagwija Good  Ear 

Deoneyont Red-hot 

Hadae'onis  Netmaker 

Hmo'   Thunder 

DjONKDJOnKWEn  Chickadee 


ONE  day  a  stranger  went  into  a  cabin  where  a  man 
and  his  wife  and  four  children  lived  and  asked  to 
marry  the  youngest  daughter  of  the  family.  The  father 
and  mother  consented  and  the  stranger  married  the  girl. 

After  a  time  he  asked  his  wife  to  go  home  with  him; 
her  parents  were  willing  and  the  two  started.  They  hadn  't 
gone  far  when  they  came  to  a  cabin  and  the  young  man 
said,  "This  is  my  home." 

'There  was  nobody  in  the  cabin  when  the  husband  and 
wife  came  but  toward  night  the  woman  heard  some  one 
coming  on  the  run.  Soon  a  man  came  in  and  sat  down 
by  the  door.  Again  she  heard  running;  another  man 
came  in  and  sat  down ;  then  a  third  man  came. 

The  three  men  began  talking  with  one  another,  relating 
how  far  they  had  traveled  and  what  they  had  killed. 

One  said,  "I  had  good  luck,  I  killed  a  bear." 

Finding  that  he  was  the  only  one  who  had  killed  any- 
thing, the  two  said,  "Go  and  bring  the  bear.  We'll 
cook  it." 

288 


YOUNG  WOMAN  AND  THUNDER    289 

The  young  woman  sat  at  the  opposite  end  of  the  room, 
watching.  She  saw  the  man  bring  in  what  he  called  a 
bear,  saw  that  it  was  the  trunk  and  head  of  a  man's 
body.  The  men  cut  it  up  and  put  it  in  a  kettle  to  boil. 
When  cooked  they  ate  it. 

The  three  walked  back  and  forth  in  the  room  without 
looking  toward  the  woman.  Her  husband  was  there  but 
he  didn't  talk  or  eat  with  the  men.  They  were  his  brothers 
but  he  never  ate  their  kind  of  food. 

Each  morning  the  three  brothers  went  to  hunt  for  game. 
In  the  evening  they  came  back  and  sitting  down  near  the 
door  talked  over  their  journey.  Then,  if  they  had  killed 
any  game,  they  brought  it  into  the  cabin,  cooked  and  ate 
it.  If  they  had  no  game,  they  ate  what  was  left  from  the 
meal  of  the  previous  evening. 

One  day  when  the  young  woman  went  for  water,  she 
found  a  man  standing  by  the  spring.  The  man  said  to  her, 
''I  have  come  to  tell  you  that  to-morrow  your  husband 
is  going  into  the  ground.  As  soon  as  he  goes  put  some  of 
your  spittle  exactly  in  the  center  of  the  cabin  and  tell 
it  to  answer  for  you  every  time  your  husband  speaks. 
When  you  have  done  that  hurry  to  this  place. " 

The  next  morning  the  young  man  said  to  his  wife,  "lam 
going  into  the  ground  and  I  want  you  to  stay  in  the  cabin 
all  the  time  I  am  away."  He  turned  around  and  right 
where  he  stood  he  disappeared. 

After  doing  as  she  had  been  told,  the  woman  went  to 
the  spring;  the  stranger  was  there.  Taking  an  arrow  he 
put  the  woman  into  the  head  of  it,  and  saying,  ''When  the 
arrow  falls,  jump  out  and  hurry  along  the  lake,  as  fast 
as  you  can."      He  shot  the  arrow  into  the  air. 

The  husband  called  to  his  wife,  "  Are  you  there?" 

"lam  here, ' '  answered  the  spittle. 

After  a  time  he  called  again,  "Are  you  there?" 

"I  am  here,"  was  the  answer. 

The  man  was  away  a  number  of  days  and  he  often  asked, 
"Are  you  there?"  and  always  received  the  same  answer. 
When  he  came  above  ground  and  asked,  "Where  are  you, 
wife?"  and  her  voice  answered,  "I  am  here,"  he  looked 
around  but  didn't  see  her,  then  he  found  what  had  been 
talking  to  him. 


290  SENECA    MYTHS 

He  was  terribly  angry  and  right  away  began  to  hunt  for 
the  woman's  tracks.  He  found  them  and  followed  them 
to  the  spring,  but  there  they  disappeared.  He  hunted  a 
long  time,  then,  getting  discouraged,  he  called  his  dog 
OnHDAGwijA  (Good  Ear),  and  said,  "You  didn't  take  care 
of  my  wife  while  I  was  gone.    Now  you  must  find  her." 

The  man  watched  the  dog.  It  ran  around  and  around 
and  came  back  to  the  spring,  then  it  stopped  hunting  on 
the  ground,  looked  up  in  the  air,  sniffed  and  ran  toward 
the  North,  looking  up  all  the  time  as  if  it  saw  tracks.  The 
man  followed  the  dog.  After  a  while  the  two  came  to 
where  the  arrow  fell,  then  there  were  tracks  on  the  ground. 

The  dog  barked  and  began  to  run  faster,  the  man  urging 
it  on.  When  they  were  about  to  overtake  the  woman, 
the  stranger  who  had  been  at  the  spring  stood  in  front 
of  her. 

Putting  her  into  an  arrow,  he  said,  ' '  You  will  come  down 
on  an  island  in  a  lake.  Run  across  the  island  in  every 
direction.    I  will  be  there. ' ' 

When  the  man  and  dog  came  to  where  the  woman  met 
the  stranger  they  lost  her  tracks.  Again  the  dog  ran 
around  smelling  the  ground,  then  looking  up  in  the  air 
he  saw  a  trail  and  followed  it. 

When  Good  Ear  and  his  master  came  to  the  lake  the  man 
changed  to  a  flea  and  went  into  the  hair  behind  the  dog's 
ear. 

The  dog  swam  to  the  island,  the  flea  became  a  man  and 
the  two  traveled  on  till  they  came  to  where  the  arrow  fell. 
There  they  found  the  woman's  tracks  and  followed  them 
across  and  around  the  island. 

When  they  were  overtaking  the  woman  the  stranger 
stood  in  front  of  her,  and,  putting  her  into  an  arrow,  said, 
"You  will  come  down  on  the  shore  of  the  lake.  Run  as 
fast  as  you  can.  I  can  do  nothing  more  for  you,  but  you 
will  soon  come  to  a  village  and  there  you  will  find  some 
one  to  help  you.    Now  you  may  know  who  I  am." 

As  the  stranger  turned  to  go  the  woman  saw  that  he 
was  DjONKDJOnKWE  (Chickadee). 

When  the  dog  came  to  where  the  tracks  disappeared  on 
the  ground,  he  saw  the  trail  in  the  air  and  knew  that  the 
woman  had  crossed  the  lake.    Again  the  man  turned  to  a 


YOUNG  WOMAN  AND  THUNDER    291 

flea  and  hid  in  the  dog's  hair.  The  dog  swam  to  the 
shore;  the  flea  became  a  man,  and  the  two  followed  the 
woman's  footprints. 

When  her  husband  was  so  near  that  the  woman  could 
hear  the  dog  bark,  she  came  to  a  house.  A  man  was  sitting 
inside  making  arrow-heads.  The  man  was  Othagwe11- 
donis  (Flintmaker).  When  the  woman  asked  him  to  help 
her,  he  said,  "I  will  do  what  I  can,  but  hurry  along,  the 
man  in  the  next  house  will  help  you." 

When  the  dog  came  Flintmaker  threw  a  handful  of 
arrow-heads  at  him.  Wherever  the  arrow-heads  struck 
they  tore  up  the  trees  and  the  ground,  but  the  dog  dodged 
them  all,  ran  at  Flintmaker,  caught  him  by  the  throat  and 
shook  him  till  he  was  dead. 

At  the  second  house  the  woman  found  a  man  making 
nets.    This  man  was  Hadae'onis  (Netmaker). 

The  woman  said  to  him,  "I  am  running  away  from  a 
bad  man.     I  want  you  to  help  me." 

"Ill  do  what  I  can,"  said  Hadae'onis,  "but  hurry  on. 
You  will  soon  come  to  a  house,  the  people  who  live  there 
will  help  you." 

When  the  dog  and  the  man  came,  Hadae'onis  threw  out 
a  net.  It  caught  the  two  and  wound  around  and  around 
them.  For  a  long  time  they  struggled  to  free  themselves. 
At  last  the  dog  broke  through  the  net,  ran  at  Hadae'onis, 
caught  him  by  the  throat  and  shook  him  till  he  was  dead. 

In  the  third  house  the  woman  found  four  brothers. 
When  she  asked  them  for  help,  they  went  out  and  chopping 
down  dry  trees  piled  them  on  her  tracks.  When  they  had 
a  high  pile,  they  set  it  afire,  and  standing,  two  at  each  side 
of  the  pile,  they  waited. 

The  dog  and  the  man  came  to  the  fire,  the  dog  wanted  to 
go  around  but  the  man  saw  that  the  tracks  led  into  the 
fire  and  he  said,  "No!  You  must  go  through." 

The  dog  sprang  into  the  fire  and  the  man  followed. 
When  they  came  out  on  the  other  side  both  dog  and  man 
were  almost  dead.  The  eldest  of  the  four  brothers  said, 
"We  will  shoot  them." 

They  shot,  but  arrows  had  no  effect. 

Then  the  old  man  said,  ' '  We  must  catch  them,  kill  them, 
and  pull  their  hearts  out." 


292  SENECA    MYTHS 

They  caught  the  man  and  the  dog,  killed  them,  pulled 
out  their  hearts  and  put  the  hearts  in  a  red  hot  kettle 
that  the  old  man  had  heated  over  the  fire.  The  hearts  flew 
around  and  around  trying  to  get  out  of  the  kettle  but  the 
brothers  pushed  them  down  and  shot  at  them  till  they  were 
dead  and  burned  to  ashes. 

The  old  man,  whose  name  was  Deoneyont  (Red-hot), 
went  to  the  house  and  told  the  woman  she  was  safe.  He 
said  to  her,  "You  must  rest  four  days  then  go  home." 

When  the  fourth  day  came,  Red-hot  said,  "It  is  time  to 
go.  Your  home  is  in  the  South.  As  you  travel  you  will 
know  where  you  are." 

The  woman  started.  About  midday  she  met  a  stranger, 
who  said,  '  *  Towards  night  you  will  find  something  to  eat. ' ' 

She  traveled  till  the  sun  went  down,  then  came  to  a 
large  stump  and  found  there  a  pot  of  hulled  corn  cooked 
with  bear  meat,  she  thought,  "This  must  be  what  the  man 
meant.' '  She  ate  the  hulled  corn  and  meat  then  went  on 
till  dark.     That  night  she  camped  under  a  tree. 

The  next  morning  the  woman  started  again.  At  midday 
she  met  the  stranger  and  he  told  her  that  she  would  soon 
find  something  to  eat.  Towards  night  she  came  to  a 
stump  and  found  there  a  pot  of  hulled  corn  and  bear  meat. 

The  next  morning  when  the  woman  woke  up,  the  stranger 
was  standing  by  her.  He  said,  "You  are  near  your 
father's  home  and  I  shall  leave  you  now.  I  am  the  one 
whom  men  call  Hi'no'  (Thunder)." 

The  stranger  disappeared  and  the  woman  went  on  till 
she  came  in  sight  of  an  old  house.  Then  she  saw  a  spring 
and  right  away  she  knew  it  was  the  spring  where  she  used 
to  get  water.  In  the  house  she  found  her  father  and 
mother.    They  were  glad  to  see  her  and  said  l'Ydwen." 


PARTRIDGE  AND  TURTLE  AND  THEIR 
COUSINS  WOLVES 


[Told  by  John  Armstrong] 


TWO  brothers,  Partridge  and  Turtle,  lived  together. 
Wolves,  their  cousins,  lived  in  a  house  not  far  away. 
One  day  old  man  Wolf  said,  ''You  had  better  all  go  out 
hunting. " 

They  started  off,  going  toward  the  East  in  Indian  file. 
After  a  time  they  said,  "We  will  separate  and  each  man 
will  go  where  he  likes.  If  anyone  sees  game,  he  can 
call  out." 

As  Turtle  was  going  along,  he  came  to  a  log  that  he 
couldn't  get  over  so  he  called  out.  Partridge  heard  him 
and  running  up  to  see  what  game  he  had  found,  asked, 
"What  is  it?" 

Turtle  said,  "I  can't  get  over  this  log,  it  is  so  high." 

"But  you  shouldn't  call  out,"  said  Partridge.  "The 
men  might  think  you  had  found  game.  Don't  call  again 
unless  you  find  game,"  and  catching  Turtle  by  the  leg 
he  threw  him  ovpr  the  log. 

Again  Turtle  came  to  a  log  and  couldn't  get  over,  so  he 
cried  loudly  for  help.  Partridge  ran  up  and  seeing  what 
the  trouble  was  caught  Turtle  by  the  leg  and  threw  him 
over  as  hard  as  he  could,  saying,  "The  next  time  you 
come  to  a  log,  you  go  around  it." 

"But,"  said  Turtle,  "our  leader  told  us  to  go  straight 
ahead  and  I  did  as  he  said." 

"Well,  don't  be  afraid;  go  around  the  log  next  time," 
answered  Partridge. 

After  that  Turtle  went  around  the  logs.     Soon  he  came 

293 


294  SENECA    MYTHS 

to  a  river,  and  near  the  river  he  saw  a  tree  loaded  with 
plums ;  some  of  the  plums  had  fallen  to  the  ground.  Turtle 
had  on  a  bark  apron.  He  gathered  it  up,  bag  shape,  and 
filled  it  with  plums.  While  he  was  eating  and  looking 
around,  he  saw  Elk  coming. 

"When  near  where  Turtle  stood,  Elk  asked,  "Brother, 
will  you  give  me  some  of  those  plums?" 

"No,  I'm  a  great  deal  smaller  than  you  are,  I  can't 
knock  them  off  of  the  tree  as  easily  as  you  can. ' ' 

"How  do  you  knock  them  off?" 

"I'll  tell  you,  I  go  as  far  away  as  I  can  and  see  them, 
then  run  very  fast  to  the  tree  and  strike  my  head  against 
it." 

"Did  you  do  that?" 

* '  Yes.  It  hurt  some,  but  not  very  long.  You  can  do  the 
same  way  and  you'll  knock  off  a  great  many  plums." 

Elk  went  some  distance  then  running  as  fast  as  he  could 
struck  his  head  against  the  tree.  The  blow  threw  him 
back  and  he  couldn't  get  up.  Turtle  dropped  his  plums 
and  jumping  on  to  Elk  caught  him  by  the  neck  and  choked 
him  to  death.    Then  he  called  out  loudly. 

Partridge  came  running  up,  and  asked,  "What  have 
you  done  now?" 

"I'm  a  man.     I've  killed  an  Elk." 

Partridge  was  glad,  and  asked,  "How  can  we  hide  this 
from  our  cousins?  They  are  great  eaters  and  would  soon 
finish  this  meat,  but  you  and  I  are  small  people  we  could 
live  on  it  a  long  time.  If  we  could  find  a  hollow  tree,  we 
could  hide  the  meat  in  it.  While  I  am  hunting  for  the 
tree,  you  go  to  our  cousins  and  borrow  a  knife.  If  they 
ask  why  you  want  the  knife  tell  them  you  are  going  to  dig 
mushrooms. '  * 

"No,"  said  Turtle,  "You  must  go,  you  can  fly.  If  I  go 
they  will  track  me  and  find  out  what  we  are  doing." 

Partridge  flew  over  to  where  Wolves  were  hunting. 

They  asked,  "What  luck  have  you  had?" 

Partridge  tried  to  answer,  but  he  stuttered  so  he  couldn't 
get  out  a  single  word. 

1 '  What  makes  you  stutter  ? ' '  asked  his  cousins.  * '  You 
are  frightened.    Have  you  done  something  bad?" 

Again  Partridge  tried  to  speak,  but  couldn  't. 


PARTRIDGE    AND    TURTLE  295 

1 'Let  him  alone/'  said  Old  Man  Wolf,  "he'll  tell  after 

a  while." 

Now  Partridge  stood  up  straight,  his  eyes  wide  open, 
and  tried  to  say  knife,  but  stuttered  out  something  that 
sounded  like  spear.  He  had  made  up  his  mind  to  say  that 
he  was  going  to  cut  his  brother's  hair. 

"Do  you  want  a  spear?"  asked  Old  Wolf. 

"No,  knife!" 

"Well,  give  him  a  knife,"  said  Old  Wolf. 

Partridge  took  the  knife  and  going  back  to  where  Turtle 
was  the  two  cut  up  the  Elk  and  carried  it,  piece  by  piece, 
to  a  hollow  tree  that  Turtle  had  found.  Then  they  camped 
in  the  tree. 

When  cold  weather  came  Old  Wolf  said,  "I  wonder 
where  our  cousins  are?  Maybe  they  have  starved  to 
death.    We  must  try  to  find  them." 

Several  of  the  Wolves  started.  After  traveling  a  long 
distance,  they  saw  a  smoke  coming  out  of  a  hollow  tree. 
They  went  back  and  said,  "We  have  found  Turtle  and 
Partridge,  they  are  living  in  a  hollow  tree  far  off  in  the 
woods." 

Old  Wolf  said,  "Go  to  the  tree  and  find  out  what  they 
are  doing." 

When  the  men  came  to  the  tree  they  saw  many  bones. 
Partridge  had  told  Turtle  not  to  throw  bones  out,  if  he  did 
Wolves  would  scent  them,  but  Turtle  had  disobeyed  him. 

When  Wolves  saw  the  bones,  they  said,  "This  is  why 
Partridge  was  so  frightened  when  he  came  to  borrow  a 
knife.  They  killed  a  deer  and  have  eaten  it  up  without 
giving  us  any."  Before  this  the  cousins  had  always  shared 
with  one  another.  "Now  we'll  cut  the  tree  down,  kill 
Turtle  and  Partridge  and  eat  them." 

They  set  to  work  and  soon  the  tree  began  to  bend  over. 
Turtle  saw  what  his  cousins  were  doing  and  he  screamed, 
"Let  the  tree  be  large!  Let  the  tree  be  large!" 

The  tree  grew  quickly  and  caught  on  to  another  tree. 
The  Wolves  began  to  chop  the  second  tree. 

Again  Turtle  screamed  "Let  the  tree  be  large!"  and  it 
caught  to  a  third  tree. 

They  began  to  cut  the  third  tree,  thinking  that  all  the 
trees  would  fall  at  the  same  time. 


296  SENECA    MYTHS 

Now  Turtle  asked  Partridge,  "Can  you  carry  me  in 
your  skirt?" 

"I  can  try.  Maybe  I  can  if  you  hold  on  tight  when  I 
fly." 

Partridge  flew  off  and  Turtle  held  on  to  his  skirt  till 
he  was  too  tired  to  hold  any  longer.  Then  he  fell,  and 
Wolves,  who  had  followed,  said,  "Now,  we'll  punish  him." 

' '  What  will  we  do  to  him ! ' '  asked  one,  ' '  roast  him  f ' ' 

"You  can  roast  me,"  said  Turtle,  "but  you'll  never 
have  a  fire  again,  I'll  put  it  out  forever." 

Wolves  said,  "Maybe  he  could  do  that.  Let's  chop  him 
to  pieces." 

"You  can  if  you  want  to,"  said  Turtle,  "but  you'll 
never  have  a  sharp  knife  again.  My  back  is  made  of 
bone." 

"That's  true,"  said  Wolves,  "We'll  take  a  mallet  and 
pound  him  to  death." 

1 '  Yes,  pound  me  to  death,  but  never  again  will  you  have 
a  mallet." 

Now  Old  Wolf  spoke  up,  and  said,  "I  know  how  to  kill 
him.    Drag  him  to  the  lake  and  throw  him  in ! " 

Turtle  began  to  cry,  and  to  beg,  saying,  "I  shall  die  if 
you  throw  me  into  the  water." 

He  cried  so  hard  that  they  agreed  that  this  was  the  way 
to  kill  him.  They  dragged  him  to  the  lake  and  threw 
him  in,  then  they  sat  down  on  the  bank  to  see  him  drown. 

Soon  Turtle  stuck  up  his  head  and  seeing  Wolves  called 
out,  "You  are  fools!  Didn't  you  know  that  water  is 
my  home?" 

Wolves  were  so  angry  that  they  sent  for  an  Elk  to 
come  and  drink  up  the  water.  But  when  Elk  had  drunk 
the  lake  dry,  they  couldn't  find  Turtle;  he  had  buried 
himself  in  the  mud.  There  was  nothing  to  be  done;  Elk 
threw  up  the  water  and  the  Wolves  went  home. 

After  a  long  time  Turtle  was  one  day  out  hunting  and 
he  met  a  Wolf.  Wolf  began  to  make  fun  of  Turtle 's  short 
legs,  told  him  he  oughtn't  to  go  where  people  could  see  him, 
he  was  so  ugly. 

Turtle  looked  at  Wolf,  and  said,  "Well,  if  I  have  short 
legs  I  can  beat  you  running.  Notify  your  people  and  I'll 
notify  mine,  and  to-morrow  we  will  run  a  race." 


PARTRIDGE    AND    TURTLE  297 

Wolf  was  greatly  pleased,  and  he  came  next  day,  with 
all  his  friends. 

Now  Turtle  had  stationed  six  of  his  friends,  all  of  the 
same  size,  and  each  with  a  white  feather  in  his  headdress, 
at  certain  places  along  the  course. 

At  the  starting  Wolf  left  Turtle  far  behind  and  turning 
he  called  out,  "Why  don't  you  come  on?" 

But  when  Wolf  was  some  distance  along  he  heard  Turtle 
call,  "Why  don't  you  come  on?"  and  looking  saw  him 
ahead. 

Wolf  passed  him,  then  turned  and  shouted,  "Why  don't 
you  run  faster?"' 

The  third  Turtle  came  up  ahead  of  Wolf,  and  called, 
"You'll  be  beaten  if  you  don't  run  faster!" 

So  on  to  the  sixth  Turtle.  As  soon  as  Wolf  passed,  the 
Turtle  would  hide  in  the  ground  and  another  Turtle  spring 
up  ahead  of  Wolf. 

Now  the  Turtle  people  sent  up  a  shout  of  victory.  Turtle 
had  reached  the  goal  and  beaten  Wolf. 

Wolf  told  Turtle,  "Hereafter  you  and  your  people  can 
live  on  the  hills  and  I  and  my  people  will  live  in  the 
woods." 

And  so  it  is.  At  this  time  Partridges,  Wolves,  and 
Turtles  from  being  people  became  what  they  are  now. 


THOUSAND-LEGS  AND  BRIGHT  BODY 
HIS  SON 


Characters 


Sadzawiski Thousand-legs  (A  Worm) 

Doyadastethe Bright  Body 

Di'di Blue  Jay 

Shagoyagentha He  Hides  Them 

Gaqga'   Eaven 

Yeqsinye Spinner  (of  the  Spider  Family) 

Dewaqso^hwus  Flea 


THOUSAND-LEGS  (a  worm)  lived  in  a  house  with  his 
wife  and  seven  sons;  only  the  youngest  of  the  seven 
had  a  name.  He  was  called  Bright  Body.  Bright  Body 
was  so  small  that  his  father  didn't  let  him  go  outside,  or 
play  around  in  the  house.  He  stayed  under  an  old  couch 
and  played  with  his  dog,  a  flea. 

Thousand-legs  was  poor,  for  though  he  went  hunting 
before  sunrise  and  came  back  after  dark,  he  brought  home 
very  little  game.  One  morning  his  wife  asked,  " Can't 
you  get  more  game?    We  are  hungry.* ' 

"I  have  bad  luck/'  said  Thousand-legs. 

"Your  back  often  looks  as  if  you  had  packed  lots  of 
game." 

"I  bring  home  all  I  find,  I  never  have  any  luck." 

The  woman  didn  't  believe  what  her  husband  said. 

That  evening  Thousand-legs  brought  no  game  but  his 

298 


THOUSAND-LEGS  AND  BRIGHT  BODY  299 

back  was  covered  with  fresh  blood.  His  wife  said,  "  There 
is  blood  on  your  back,  you  must  have  killed  some  animal. ' ' 

"I  got  hurt,"  said  the  man,  "A  hemlock  tree  fell  on 
me." 

The  next  morning  Thousand-legs  was  up  and  off  before 
sunrise.  His  wife  followed  him.  Just  before  midday, 
with  a  small  stone,  he  killed  a  large  bear.  He  took  the 
bear  on  his  back  and  started  off.  After  a  while  he  came 
to  a  house  and  went  in.     His  wife  crept  up,  and  listened. 

There  was  a  woman  in  the  house  who,  after  she  had 
greeted  the  man,  said,  ' '  The  next  time  you  come,  you  must 
stay,  not  go  away." 

"Very  well,"  answered  Thousand-legs,  then  leaving  the 
bear,  he  came  out  and  started  for  home. 

His  wife  ran  on  ahead,  always  keeping  out  of  sight. 
When  she  reached  the  house,  she  said  to  the  boys,  "Your 
father  has  another  wife.  I  can't  stay  here  any  longer," 
and,  putting  on  her  panther-skin  blanket,  she  went  away. 

When  Thousand-legs  came  he  asked,  "What  is  the  mat- 
ter?   Where  is  your  mother?" 

One  of  the  boys  said,  ' '  She  went  out  early  in  the  morn- 
ing and  was  gone  all  day,  but  a  little  while  ago  she  came 
and  put  on  her  panther-skin  blanket,  then  she  said  she 
was  going  away  and  wasn't  coming  back." 

Thousand-legs  hung  his  head.  At  last  he  asked,  "Why 
did  she  go?" 

"She  said  that  you  had  another  wife." 

1 '  Well,  my  sons,  I  am  going  to  follow  your  mother.  You 
must  stay  here  while  I  am  gone.  If  I  live  I  will  be  back 
in  ten  days." 

Thousanfl-legs  found  his  wife's  tracks  and  followed 
them ;  he  traveled  all  night.  The  next  morning  he  saw  that 
the  tracks  doubled  back,  but  he  kept  straight  ahead,  know- 
ing his  wife  had  done  this  to  deceive  him.  Soon  he  was 
on  her  trail  again,  going  directly  West. 

After  a  while  Thousand-legs  came  to  a  house  where  a 
very  old  man  was  living.  The  old  man  said,  "You  are 
traveling  ? ' ' 

"Yes,"  said  Thousand-legs,  "I  am  following  the  woman 
whose  tracks  come  to  this  house. ' ' 

The  old  man's  name  was  Sha-go-ya-g^ntha  (He  Hides 


300  SENECA    MYTHS 

Them).  He  was  of  the  Toad  family.  He  said,  "I  don't 
know  where  the  woman  has  gone." 

"Her  tracks  stop  at  your  door." 

"You  can  look  for  her  if  you  want  to." 

Thousand-legs  looked  everywhere,  but  didn't  find  his 
wife. 

Then  the  old  man  said,  in  his  mind,  "I  will  send  him 
off,"  and  he  asked.  "Do  you  want  me  to  send  you  in  the 
direction  your  wife  went?" 

"I  do." 

The  old  man  brought  a  small  white-flint  canoe  and  told 
Thousand-legs  to  sit  in  it.  He  did,  and  then  the  old  man 
pushed  the  canoe  forward.  It  rose  in  the  air  and  went 
with  great  swiftness  till  it  struck  against  a  high  rock. 
Thousand-legs  was  thrown  out,  fell  among  rocks  and  was 
killed. 

The  seven  boys  stayed  at  home  till  they  were  very 
hungry.  Then  the  eldest  went  out  to  see  if  he  could  find 
anything  for  his  brothers  to  eat  and  when  night  came  he 
didn't  come  home. 

The  next  morning  the  second  brother  started  off  to  look 
for  the  first.  The  brothers  at  home  waited  all  day  but 
neither  brother  came. 

The  next  morning  the  third  brother  went  to  look  for  the 
other  two,  and  he  didn't  come  back. 

Each  day  a  brother  went  out  till  six  had  gone  and  not 
one  had  returned.  Only  Bright  Body  was  left,  he  was 
under  the  couch  playing  with  his  dog. 

At  last  the  boy  said  in  his  mind,  "It  seems  to  me  there 
is  no  one  in  the  house ;  it  is  very  quiet  here. ' ' 

He  crawled  from  under  the  couch  and  looking  around 
didn't  see  anyone.  "What  has  happened?"  thought  he, 
"Why  have  they  all  gone  away?"  He  listened,  but 
couldn't  hear  footsteps  or  voices.  After  listening  a  long 
time,  he  said,  "I  think  that  I  hear  my  mother  crying, 
far  off  in  the  West.    I  must  go  to  her." 

He  went  outside  and  listened,  his  dog  standing  behind 
him.  Again  he  heard  crying  and  the  sound  came  from  a 
great  distance. 

"That  is  my  mother,"  said  he,  "I  must  go  to  her.  She 
is  in  trouble." 


THOUSAND-LEGS  AND  BRIGHT  BODY  301 

He  and  his  dog  rose  in  the  air  and  went  along  above  the 
highest  trees,  always  going  toward  the  West. 

Bright  Body  came  down  at  the  edge  of  a  village  and 
going  into  a  cabin  found  two  women  there,  a  grandmother 
and  her  granddaughter.  u  m 

He  said  to  the  old  woman,  "I  have  come  to  visit  you.^ 
' 'We  are  poor,"  said  she,  "we  haven't  anything  to  eat." 
"I  don't  want  food,"  said  Bright  Body,  "I  only  want 
shelter  at  night." 

"You  can  stay,"  said  the  old  grandmother,  whose  name 
was  Spinner.  She  made  rope,  by  rolling  strips  of  bark 
on  her  knees. 

Bright  Body  had  not  been  in  the  cabin  long  when 
someone  ran  up,  kicked  the  door  open,  and  said,  "To-night 
they  will  burn  the  woman's  feet;  her  tears  are  wampum 
beads.    Maybe  you  can  pick  up  some  of  the  beads." 

The  messenger  ran  off  to  the  next  cabin,  and  the  grand- 
mother said,  "The  people  of  this  village  are  bad  people. 
That  man  is  the  servant  of  Blue  Jay,  the  chief,  the  rest  of 
the  people  are  of  the  Raven  family." 

When  night  came,  Bright  Body  went  to  the  long  house. 
A  great  many  people  were  there.  Going  inside  he  saw  his 
mother  tied  to  a  post.  As  soon  as  he  came  his  mother 
knew  he  was  there. 

The  chief  rose,  and  said,  "Be  ready.  Look  out  for  the 
beads!"  ^       _      .      ., 

The  chief's  two  daughters  lighted  the  torches,  for  the  old 
grandmothers  were  going  to  burn  the  woman's  feet.  When 
they  held  the  torches  to  her  flesTi  tears  ran  from  her  eyes 
to  the  floor  and  as  they  touched  the  floor  they  became 
beautiful  beads.     Everyone  rushed  to  pick  them  up. 

Bright  Body  was  watching.  When  the  people  were  on 
their  knees  scrambling  for  the  beads  he  untied  his  mother 
and  led  her  outside.  Then  he  ran  around  the  house  and 
as  he  ran  he  repeated,  "I  want  you  to  be  stone  and  to^be 
red  hot!    I  want  you  to  be  stone  and  to  be  red  hot!" 

The  house  became  stone  and  the  stone  was  red  hot.  The 
people  were  suffocating.  They  stopped  picking  up  beads 
and  hurried  to  get  out  of  the  house,  but  there  was  no  way 
out.  For  a  time  there  was  shouting  and  screaming,  then 
all  was  quiet. 


302  SENECA    MYTHS 

Bright  Body  said  to  his  mother,  "We  will  leave  this 
place,"  and  calling  his  dog  they  started. 

When  going  through  the  village  a  blue  lizard  chased 
Bright  Body,  but  he  tore  the  lizard  to  pieces  and  the  dog 
carried  the  pieces  far  off  in  different  directions  so  they 
could  not  come  together  again,  and  Bright  Body  said, 
i '  Lizard,  you  thought  you  were  going  to  kill  me,  but  I  am 
more  powerful  than  you  were.    I  have  destroyed  you." 

When  Bright  Body  came  to  Spinner's  house,  he  said  to 
her,  "I  have  killed  all  the  people  in  the  village.  Now 
you  can  live  in  peace." 

She  thanked  him,  and  he  and  his  mother  and  his  dog 
traveled  on  till  they  came  to  their  own  home.  There 
Bright  Body  found  his  six  brothers  and  they  all  lived 
together  and  were  happy. 

The  story  doesn't  say  how  the  brothers  got  home  or 
what  happened  to  them. 


A  YOUNG  MAN  EESCUED  BY  A  TOAD 


Character 
Nosgwais Toad 


TWO  brothers  lived  together.  The  elder  hunted  but 
never  brought  home  any  game.  The  younger  noticed 
that  his  brother's  back  was  always  bloody,  as  though  he 
had  been  carrying  freshly  killed  game.  He  couldn't  under- 
stand this,  so  one  day  he  followed  his  brother,  saw  him 
kill  a  deer,  throw  it  over  his  shoulder  and  start  for  home, 
but  he  hadn't  gone  far  when  a  woman  approached  from 
one  side,  took  the  deer  and  carried  it  off. 

The  next  day  the  younger  brother  went  in  the  direction 
the  woman  had  taken.  He  soon  came  to  a  house  and  going 
in  found  a  young  woman.  She  laughed  and  began  to  talk 
to  him.  After  talking  a  while,  he  started  for  home.  When 
he  had  gone  some  distance,  he  found  that  he  was  going 
back  to  the  house  he  had  just  left. 

As  he  turned  to  go  in  the  opposite  direction  his  brother 
came  up  behind  him,  and  said, ' '  Don 't  you  know  that  there 
is  a  fishhook  in  your  neck?" 

The  elder  brother  took  out  the  fishhook,  stuck  it  in  a 
bush  and  said,  "Your  safety  depends  upon  getting  away 
from  here  as  quickly  as  you  can."  He  made  his  brother 
small,  put  him  in  his  arrow,  and  saying,  "When  the  arrow 
comes  to  the  ground,  get  out  of  it  and  run  for  your  life," 
he  shot  the  arrow  into  the  air. 

When  the  woman  pulled  on  the  hook  and  couldn't  move 
it,  she  followed  the  line  and  found  the  hook  in  a  bush. 
She  was  angry,  and  said,  "You  cannot  escape  from  me  in 
this  way." 


304  SENECA    MYTHS 

She  went  to  the  young  man's  cabin.  He  wasn't  there. 
She  tracked  him  to  her  own  house  and  then  back  to  the 
bush  and  looking  up  she  saw  the  trail  of  the  arrow  and 
she  followed  it  till  she  came  to  the  place  where  the  arrow 
fell,  then  she  ran  on  quickly. 

As  the  woman  approached,  the  young  man  heard  her 
steps  and  pulling  off  his  moccasins  he  told  them  to  run 
to  the  end  of  the  world.  And  there,  where  he  stood,  he 
became  a  stump. 

The  woman  came  to  the  stump,  halted,  and  looking  at 
it  said,  "This  stump  is  like  a  man.  But  the  tracks  go 
on,"  and  she  hurried  away. 

The  woman  reached  the  end  of  the  world  and  there  stood 
the  moccasins.  She  rushed  back  to  where  she  had  seen  the 
stump.  It  wasn't  there,  but  she  found  fresh  tracks  and 
followed  them. 

When  the  young  man  heard  the  woman  coming  he  took 
up  a  stone,  threw  it  behind  him,  and  said,  "Let  there  be 
a  high  rock  from  one  end  of  the  world  to  the  other. ' '  That 
minute  the  rock  was  there. 

The  woman  came  to  the  rock  and  could  neither  go 
through  it  nor  over  it,  nor  could  she  crawl  under  it. 

"I  never  heard  of  this  rock,"  said  she.  "It  can't  go 
across  the  world,  I'll  go  around  it." 

She  ran  to  the  end  of  the  world,  went  back  and  ran  to 
the  opposite  end  but  she  couldn't  get  around  the  rock. 
Then  going  to  the  place  she  started  from  she  tried  to  break 
the  rock  by  striking  her  head  against  it.  The  rock  didn't 
break,  but  she  struck  her  head  such  a  blow  that  she  fell 
back  apparently  dead.  After  a  long  time  she  opened  her 
eyes  and  looked  up;  the  rock  had  disappeared,  only  a 
little  stone  lay  there. 

"Oh,  he  is  using  his  power,"  said  the  woman,  and  again 
she  hurried  after  him. 

When  the  young  man  heard  her  coming,  he  took  a  pigeon 
feather  out  of  his  pocket,  and  said,  as  he  threw  it  behind 
him,  "Let  there  be  a  pigeon  roost  across  the  world  and  so 
many  pigeons  on  it  that  their  droppings  will  be  so  deep 
and  high  that  nothing  can  get  through  or  over  them." 

The  woman  came  to  the  roost  and  when  she  couldn't 
get  through  the  droppings,  she  said,  "I  never  heard  of  a 


RESCUED    BY   A   TOAD  305 

pigeon  roost  that  went  across  the  world.  I'll  go  around 
it." 

She  went  to  one  end  of  the  world,  then  to  the  other,  but 
couldn't  go  around  the  roost.  Going  back  to  the  place 
she  started  from  she  tried  to  break  through  with  her  head, 
but  fell  back  apparently  dead.  After  a  long  time  she 
opened  her  eyes  and  saw  a  small  feather  on  the  ground; 
the  roost  had  disappeared.  She  was  angrier  than  ever 
and  ran  on  with  greater  speed. 

The  young  man  came  to  a  lake  and  saw  people  in  the 
water  playing  tag.  He  halted,  and  said,  ' '  Let  one  of  those 
men  become  just  like  me.    Let  me  become  a  stump." 

The  woman  came  to  the  stump  but  hearing  the  laughter 
of  the  people  playing  tag  she  looked  at  them  and  saw 
that  the  man  far  out  in  the  lake  was  the  man  she  was 
following. 

The  people,  seeing  the  woman,  called  out,  "Come  and 
help  us  catch  this  man  who  outswims  us." 

She  sprang  into  the  water,  chased  the  man  and  at  last 
caught  hold  of  him.  That  instant  he  took  his  own  form. 
Then  she  knew  that  she  had  been  fooled.  She  hurried 
back  to  the  shore ;  the  stump  had  disappeared. 

Again  the  woman  followed  the  young  man's  tracks.  As 
he  heard  her  coming,  a  man  stood  in  front  of  him  and 
asked,  "What  is  the  trouble?" 

"A  woman  is  chasing  me." 

1 '  I  will  help  you.  Get  on  to  my  back, ' '  said  the  stranger, 
stooping  down,  *  *  I  '11  throw  you  on  to  the  side  of  a  hill. 
Run  along  the  hill  till  you  are  forced  to  descend." 

The  stranger  was  Nosgwais  (Toad).  The  young  man 
sat  on  his  back.  Nosgwais  stretched  till  his  legs  were  of 
enormous  length,  then  he  threw  the  young  man  off  a  great 
distance. 

The  woman  came  to  where  the  man  met  Nosgwais. 
The  ground  was  soft  and  springy.  As  she  tried  to  go 
forward  it  rose  up  and  threw  her  back.  Looking  around 
she  found  that  she  was  on  the  back  of  an  enormous  toad. 
She  got  off  and,  running  in  circles,  hunted  for  the  young 
man's  tracks,  and  after  a  long  time  she  reached  the  hill. 

When  the  young  man  struck  the  hill,  he  jumped  up  and 
ran  on,  ran  till  he  fell  and,  unable  to  get  up,  rolled  down 


306  SENECA    MYTHS 

the  hill,  going  so  fast  that  he  didn't  realize  anything  till 
he  struck  a  house  and  a  voice  inside  of  it  said,  ' '  Something 
is  in  our  trap!" 

A  young  woman  came,  lifted  him  out  of  the  trap  and 
led  him  into  the  house. 

"What  is  the  trouble ?"  asked  an  old  woman  who  was 
there. 

"A  woman  is  chasing  me,"  said  the  young  man. 

"I  will  help  you."  She  filled  a  kettle  with  bear  oil 
and  put  it  over  the  fire.  When  the  oil  began  to  boil,  she 
said,  "Let  this  man's  face  look  up  from  the  bottom  of 
the  kettle." 

There  was  a  noise  outside,  the  door  opened  and  the 
woman  came  in.  "Where  is  the  man  I  am  following?" 
asked  she. 

"He  ran  into  this  kettle,"  said  the  old  woman,  "that's 
the  last  we  saw  of  him." 

The  woman  looked  into  the  kettle,  saw  the  man,  and 
saying,  '  \  I  knew  that  I  should  overtake  you ! ' '  she  plunged 
into  the  kettle  to  seize  him.    The  boiling  oil  killed  her. 

The  old  woman  called  to  the  man,  and  said,  "The  per- 
son who  was  chasing  you  is  dead." 

Her  daughter  said,  ' '  This  man  will  be  my  husband. ' p 

After  a  time  the  young  man  became  the  father  of  twin 
boys.  When  the  boys  began  to  run  around,  their  father 
said  to  them,  "You  must  go  for  your  uncle." 

They  started  and  after  traveling  a  long  time  came  to 
a  house;  in  the  house  was  an  old  man. 

One  of  the  boys  said  to  him,  "Uncle,  we  have  come  for 
you." 

The  man  got  ready  and  went  with  them.  When  they 
reached  home  the  younger  brother  greeted  the  elder,  and 
said,  "Now  you  will  always  live  with  us." 

And  so  it  was. 


A  MAN  PURSUED  BY  HIS  UNCLE  AND  BY 
HIS   WIFE 

[Told  by  Johnny  John  who  learned  it  from  his 
grandmother,  "who  lived  to  be  one  hun- 
dred and  thirty  years  old."] 


AN  old  man  and  his  nephew  lived  together  in  a  forest. 
Their  house  had  a  partition  through  the  middle  and 
a  door  at  each  end.  The  uncle  never  entered  the  part 
occupied  by  his  nephew,  and  all  communication  between 
the  two  was  held  by  each  hearing  through  the  partition 
what  the  other  said  to  himself.  Each  went  in  and  out  of 
his  own  part  of  the  house  when  he  liked,  but  neither  ever 
crossed  the  threshold  of  the  other  part. 

After  a  time  the  nephew  discovered  his  uncle's  true 
nature — he  was  a  man-eater. 

One  day  a  woman  came  to  the  young  man's  part  of 
the  house.  The  next  morning  the  uncle  said,  "My  nephew 
has  two  ways  of  breathing.' ' 

The  young  man,  speaking  to  himself,  said,  "My  uncle 
is  mistaken,  I  am  talking  to  myself." 

"My  nephew  can't  deceive  me,"  said  the  old  man. 
"There  are  two  persons  in  his  part  of  the  house.  I  am 
glad  that  game  has  come  to  him — I  am  going  hunting." 

When  his  uncle  had  gone,  the  young  man  said  to  his 
wife,  "My  uncle  knows  that  you  are  here,  now  you  must 
do  as  I  tell  you.  If  you  don't  he  will  kill  and  eat  you. 
Three  women  have  been  here.  He  killed  and  ate  each 
one  of  them,  for  they  paid  no  heed  to  what  I  told  them. 
Before  I  go  away  to  hunt,  I  will  bring  wood  and  water 
and  whatever  you  want,  so  you  need  not  go  out.     If  you 

307 


308  SENECA    MYTHS 

go  out,  you  are  lost.  My  uncle  will  kill  you.  As  soon 
as  I  leave  the  house  he  will  come  back. ' ' 

The  young  man  started  off,  but  turned  back  and  a  second 
time  warned  his  wife  not  to  disobey  him. 

The  minute  the  nephew  was  out  of  sight  in  the  forest, 
the  uncle  came  to  the  door.  The  old  man  had  the  power 
of  commanding  things  to  be  done  and  the  person  had  to 
obey  though  they  didn't  hear  or  see  him. 

He  said,  "Let  the  woman  come  out!" 

But  the  woman  had  power  also.  When  he  saw  that  she 
didn't  come  out,  he  said,  "Let  the  water  she  is  cooking 
with  boil  away!" 

The  water  boiled  away,  but  the  woman  had  a  plenty 
more.  The  old  man  was  angry,  and  said,  ' '  I  will  get  her 
out  in  one  way  or  another." 

As  the  young  man  was  coming  home,  he  saw  smoke 
rising  from  his  part  of  the  house.  "All  is  well,"  thought 
he.  ' '  My  uncle  has  not  been  able  to  kill  my  wife. ' '  When 
he  went  into  the  house  he  praised  the  woman  for  her 
obedience. 

That  afternoon,  about  dusk,  they  heard  the  old  man 
come  into  his  part  of  the  house  and  they  knew  that  he 
hadn't  brought  any  game.  He  hunted  only  for  people. 
He  called  out,  "What  luck  has  my  nephew  had  to-day." 

"I  have  had  good  luck,"  answered  the  young  man. 

The  old  man  began  to  mutter  to  himself,  to  blame  his 
nephew  for  hiding  his  uncle's  game.  At  last  he  said,  "I 
will  wait  a  while  then  I  will  have  my  own." 

He  heard  two  persons  breathe  and  he  was  angry.  Deter- 
mined to  have  something  to  eat  he  pounded  bones  into  bits, 
put  the  bits  into  a  kettle,  filled  the  kettle  with  water  and 
hanging  it  over  the  fire  made  soup. 

The  young  man  and  his  wife  were  silent.  The  man  had 
decided  to  leave  his  uncle  and  his  plans  were  laid.  He 
had  walked  in  circles  around  the  house  making  each  circle 
larger  than  the  preceding  one  till  he  had  a  ring  three 
days'  journey  in  circuit  and  now  he  told  his  wife  what 
she  must  do. 

That  night  the  uncle  said,  "I  am  going  away  for  a 
while.    I  can  find  no  game  around  here." 

"Well,"  answered  the  nephew,  "hunters  go  where  they 


PURSUED    BY    HIS    UNCLE  309 

can  find  something  to  kill  and  they  are  often  gone  a  long 
time.  I  am  going  farther  myself.  Game  is  getting  scarce 
in  onr  neighborhood." 

The  young  man  had  power.  He  caused  a  house  to 
appear  in  a  place  six  days'  journey  away,  then  he  told 
his  wife  about  the  house,  and  said,  ' '  I  have  a  brother  there 
and  I  am  going  to  send  you  to  him.  This  brother  is  invisi- 
ble. No  stranger  has  ever  seen  him.  Hitherto  he  has 
accompanied  me,  but  now  he  will  aid  you." 

The  young  man  took  an  arrow  from  his  quiver,  shook 
his  wife  till  she  was  only  a  couple  of  inches  long,  then, 
taking  off  the  flint  point  of  the  arrow,  he  put  her  inside 
the  arrow  and  replacing  the  point,  said,  "In  three  days 
I  will  follow  you." 

Putting  his  arrow  on  the  bow  string  he  drew  it  and 
sent  the  arrow  to  the  East.  That  instant  the  call  of  a  wood- 
pecker was  heard.  The  feathers  on  the  arrow  were  from 
that  bird,  and  all  the  way  the  arrow  sang  with  the  voice 
of  a  woodpecker. 

The  young  man  could  see  the  trail  that  the  arrow  left 
as  it  went  through  the  air.  He  went  back  to  the  cabin, 
and  waited.  In  three  days  his  uncle  came,  but  without 
game. 

Talking  to  himself  he  asked,  ' '  What  luck  has  my  nephew 
had?" 

"Good  luck,"  said  the  young  man.  "I  have  a  plenty 
to  eat." 

"I  found  nothing,"  said  the  old  man.  "This  hunting 
ground  is  barren,  my  eyes  see  no  more  game.  But  if  I 
have  no  fresh  meat  I  have  bones.  I  '11  break  them  up  and 
make  soup." 

Then  the  nephew  heard  his  uncle  breaking  bones — there 
was  a  terrible  noise.  At  last  the  young  man  said,  "My 
uncle  makes  too  much  noise." 

"My  nephew  wouldn't  make  less  noise  if  he  were  in 
my  place.  I  am  trying  to  get  something  to  eat."  And 
paying  no  attention  to  what  his  nephew  said,  the  old  man 
kept  at  work.  The  next  morning,  at  daybreak,  he  said, 
"I  am  going  hunting.    I  shall  be  gone  three  days." 

"I  am  glad,"  thought  the  young  man,  and  as  soon  as 
his  uncle  was  out  of  sight  he  took  the  trail  that  he  had 


310  SENECA    MYTHS 

made  and  followed  it  three  days.  Then  he  went  directly 
toward  his  new  cabin.  Glancing  up  he  saw  the  arrow's 
trail,  which  looked  like  a  rainbow  in  the  sky.  After  a 
while  he  made  a  long  leap  and  as  he  leaped  he  ran  in 
the  air,  went  up  far  above  the  forest  and  off  on  a  level 
which  was  still  in  the  air. 

The  trail  of  the  arrow  was  in  the  form  of  a  rainbow  and 
it  seemed  to  roll  up  and  dissolve  in  mist  as  the  young  man 
passed  over  it.  It  ended  where  the  arrow  had  struck.  In 
the  cabin  at  the  end  of  the  trail  he  found  his  wife. 

The  invisible  brother  saw  the  arrow  when  it  struck  the 
ground  and  burst.  He  saw  the  woman  come  out  of  the 
arrow  and  take  her  natural  size.  When  she  came  into  the 
house,  he  said  to  her,  "I  knew  you  were  coming.  By 
obedience  to  your  husband  you  have  been  able  to  make 
this  journey.  No  one  has  ever  seen  me  before  except  my 
brother  and  he  only  two  or  three  times.  I  know  what  wil1- 
come  from  my  uncle's  wrath.  He  will  pursue,  and,  if 
possible,  kill  you." 

The  old  man  came  home  and  began  to  talk  to  his  nephew. 
When  he  received  no  answer  he  was  very  angry.  He  knew 
that  his  nephew  was  not  at  home,  and  going  out  he  looked 
for  his  trail,  struck  it  and  found  that  the  footprints  were 
as  old  as  his  own,  made  three  days  before.  Going  back 
to  the  house  he  muttered,  "111  follow  him  to-morrow. 
The  world  is  small.  He  cannot  escape  me.  I'll  follow 
him  everywhere." 

The  invisible  brother,  though  a  great  distance  away, 
heard  his  uncle  talking  to  himself,  heard  his  threats,  heard 
him  say,  "My  daughter-in-law  will  never  get  out  of  my 
reach.  I  can  go  to  the  edge  of  the  world  very  quickly. 
My  nephew  is  trying  to  save  her.  He'll  not  succeed.  I'll 
eat  her  flesh." 

The  next  morning  the  old  man  set  out.  He  followed 
his  nephew's  footprints  till  night,  then,  looking  up,  saw 
that  his  own  house  was  near,  that  he  had  been  going  around 
and  around.  He  was  angry,  and  said,  "To-morrow  I  will 
get  on  the  right  trail." 

As  soon  as  daylight  came,  the  old  man  started  again. 
As  he  traveled  he  found  that  the  trail  was  growing  dim, 


PURSUED    BY    HIS   UNCLE  311 

but  lie  kept  on  till  midday,  then  he  saw  that  he  was  near 
his  own  house. 

"Be  it  so!"  said  he.  "Though  my  nephew  is  possessed 
with  the  witchcraft  of  all  the  animals,  I  will  have  his 
wife's  flesh." 

He  followed  the  trail  three  days  longer,  then  he  reached 
the  end  of  it  and  cried  out,  exultantly,  "My  daughter-in- 
law's  flesh  is  mine!"  Looking  up  in  the  air  he  saw  his 
nephew's  trail.  The  trail  of  the  arrow  was  gone,  but  the 
footprints  of  the  nephew  remained  on  the  clouds. 

As  the  old  man  followed  on  the  ground  the  trail  that 
he  saw  in  the  air,  he  muttered  to  himself.  The  invisible 
brother  heard  his  threats  and  the  three  started  for  a  lake 
that  was  not  far  away.  The  woman  took  the  lead;  the 
husband  stepped  in  her  footprints.  When  they  came  to 
the  lake,  the  young  man  took  a  clam  shell  and  threw  it 
toward  the  opposite  bank.  Immediately  the  banks  came 
together  and  the  three  stepped  over.  When  they  had 
crossed  and-  the  lake  had  again  resumed  its  natural  size 
they  looked  back  but  could  scarcely  see,  at  one  lqok,1  the 
bank  they  had  left.  The  young  man,  thinking  that  when 
his  uncle  came  to  the  lake  he  would  be  long  in  crossing, 
left  his  wife  and  went  to  hunt  for  game. 

The  old  man  came  to  the  lake  and  ran  back  and  forth 
looking  for  a  place  to  cross.  At  last  he  called  out,  ' '  Daugh- 
ter-in-law, Daughter-in-law,  how  did  you  cross  the  lake?" 
And  though  the  woman  knew  he  wanted  to  kill  ner,  she 
thought,  "Why  doesn't  he  throw  a  clam  shell?" 

He  heard  distinctly  what  she  said  in  her  mind  and  pick- 
ing up-  a  clam  shell  he  threw  it.  The  banks  came  together 
and  when  the  woman  looked  to  see  where  the  old  man  was 
she  was  terrified  to  find  him  right  there  at  her  side. 

He  caught  her  by  the  hair,  and  said,  "I  knew  that  I 
should  eat  your  flesh.  My  nephew  has  no  right  to  keep 
game  from  me." 

With  one  blow  he  cut  off  the  woman's  head.  She  had 
been  left  alone.  The  invisible  brother  was  not  there  to 
warn  her. 

The  woman  had  twin  boys.     The  old  man  hid  the  chil- 

i  As  far  as  one  can  see.  The  distance  varies,  of  course,  with  the 
position  of  the  spectator  and  the  nature  of  the  country. 


312  SENECA    MYTHS 

dren  in  a  hollow  tree,  together  with  the  woman's  head, 
then  putting  the  body  on  his  back,  he  went  to  the  lake,  and 
picking  up  a  clam  shell  threw  it  toward  the  opposite  bank. 
The  banks  came  together  and  he  stepped  over.  As  he 
looked  back,  he  saw  the  lake  spread  out  again. 

The  young  man  thought  that  when  near  home  he  would 
see  smoke  rising  from  his  cabin,  but  he  did  not.  "My 
uncle's  words  have  come  true,"  thought  he.  "She  forgot 
my  warning."  He  was  lonesome  and  discouraged  and  he 
determined  never  to  go  back  to  his  uncle's  house. 
•  While  cooking  supper,  the  young  man  had  to  go  for 
water.  As  he  stooped  down  to  dip  it  up  he  heard  a  voice 
say,  "Your  uncle  has  killed  me!  Your  uncle  has  killed 
me!" 

On  looking  around  he  saw  that  the  willows  were  be- 
spattered with  blood,  and  he  knew  from  the  blood  out  of 
which  the  voice  came  that  his  wife  had  been  killed.  He 
had  two  proofs  now,  his  uncle's  tracks  and  the  speaking 
blood. 

The  young  man  continued  to  hunt  and  as  he  had  good 
luck  he  didn't  go  again  to  the  house  across  the  lake.  One 
day  when  he  came  from  hunting  he  saw  tracks  around 
his  fire,  two  little  trails.  Though  he  saw  fresh  tracks  each 
evening  he  paid  no  attention  to  them.  They  looked  like 
the  tracks  of  a  child  but  he  thought  that  a  little  animal 
made  them.  At  last  he  noticed  that  some  of  his  meat  was 
gone  and  that  each  day  more  and  more  disappeared.  Then 
he  resolved  to  catch  the  thief.  Pieces  of  meat  hung  up 
to  dry  had  been  pulled  down,  dragged  out  of  the  house 
and  then  pulled  along  on  the  ground. 

The  young  man  followed  the  trail  till  he  came  to  a  big 
log.  The  log  was  hollow  and  the  trail  disappeared  at  the 
opening.  He  was  sure  that  some  animal  lived  in  the  tree. 
The  next  day  he  started  off,  as  usual,  but  after  going  a 
short  distance  into  the  forest  he  stopped  to  watch  his 
house.  Soon  he  saw  two  little  boys  come  out  of  the  log 
and  run  toward  the  house.  They  went  in  and  after  a 
while  came  out  dragging  a  piece  of  meat.  When  they 
reached  the  log  they  disappeared  in  the  opening,  pulling 
the  meat  in  after  them.  The  man  thought,  "To-morrow 
I  will  catch  those  children." 


PURSUED    BY    HIS   UNCLE  313 

He  knew  they  could  talk,  for  as  they  pulled  the  meat 
along  he  heard  one  of  them  say,  "Hurry,  father  will 
come ! " 

The  next  morning  the  young  man  went  a  short  distance 
into  the  forest,  hid  and  waited.  The  time  seemed  long, 
but  at  last  the  boys  came  from  the  log,  ran  to  the  house, 
went  in  and  closed  the  door.  The  man  hurried  home,  went 
into  the  house  and  fastened  the  door  behind  him.  As  soon 
as  the  children  saw  him,  they  began  to  cry. 

"Why  do  you  cry?"  asked  he,  "I  am  your  father. 
Don't  cry." 

When  they  stopped  crying,  he  asked,  "How  do  you 
know  that  I  am  your  father?" 

One  boy  was  a  little  larger  than  the  other,  and  when 
the  man  questioned  them  he  answered,  "An  old  man  killed 
our  mother.  He  cut  off  her  head  and  hid  it  in  a  hollow 
log  and  he  put  us  in  there  too.  Our  mother's  head  is  in 
the  tree  now." 

"What  do  you  do  with  the  meat  you  take  from  here?" 

"We  feed  it  to  our  mother." 

"You  must  stay  with  me  now,"  said  the  father.  He 
was  kind  to  them  and  the  boys  were  glad  to  stay.  He  made 
them  playthings,  bow  and  arrows  and  a  ball  and  club. 
Whenever  he  went  hunting,  they  carried  meat  to  their 
mother. 

One  day  the  larger  boy  said  to  his  father,  "My  mother 
is  hungry." 

"Feed  her,"  said  he.  "Feed  her  all  she  will  eat.  We 
have  a  plenty  of  meat.  You  can  take  as  much  as  you 
want. ' ' 

Soon  the  man  saw  that  the  meat  was  disappearing  very 
fast,  faster  than  he  could  bring  it  in.    He  was  frightened. 

One  of  the  boys  noticed  this,  and  said,  "My  mother 
eats  a  great  deal,  we  can't  carry  her  enough."  And  he 
asked  his  father  to  go  and  see  her. 

The  man  went  to  the  log  and  looking  in  saw  two  great 
eyes  in  a  skull. 

"What  can  we  do?"  asked  one  of  the  boys. 

"I  am  afraid,"  said  the  father,  "that  after  she  has 
eaten  all  the  meat  she  will  eat  us." 

"We  must  go  to  some  place  far  away,"  said  the  boys, 


314  SENECA    MYTHS 

' '  so  that  she  will  have  to  travel  a  long  time  to  overtake  us. 
We  can't  feed  her.  She  never  gets  enough,  and  we  are 
tared." 

The  man  knew  that  it  would  soon  be  impossible  to 
satisfy  the  Head,  so  he  said,  ' '  We  will  go  away  from  here. 
You  will  start  in  the  morning  and  travel  till  you  come  to 
a  large  village.  My  dogs  will  go  with  you  as  far  as  the 
village,  then  they  will  come  back  to  help  me." 

The  boys  started  and  after  they  had  gone  quite  a  dis- 
tance and  were  tired,  the  larger  dog  said  to  the  larger 
boy,  "Sit  on  my  back." 

Then  the  smaller  dog  said  to  the  smaller  boy,  "Sit  on 
my  back." 

The  boys  did  as  told.  The  dogs  ran  on  swiftly.  After 
a  long  time  they  came  to  a  place  where  trees  had  been 
felled,  then  they  said  to  the  boys,  "We  are  near  a  village. 
You  must  walk  now." 

The  boys  were  unwilling  to  walk,  but  the  dogs,  shaking 
themselves  as  if  they  had  just  been  in  water,  threw  them 
off  and  told  them  to  go  to  the  village.  The  dogs  turned 
then  and  went  back  to  their  master. 

The  man  knew  that  by  going  South  he  would  find  uncles 
who  would  help  him,  just  such  powerful  men  as  his  old 
uncle.  When  the  dogs  came  back,  they  told  their  master 
that  they  would  stay  till  the  last  meat  was  gone,  but  he 
must  go,  for  as  soon  as  the  meat  was  eaten  the  Head  would 
fly  in  the  direction  he  took.  They  would  delay  it  all  they 
could,  but  he  must  travel  fast  for  his  life  was  in  danger. 

The  man  started  toward  the  South  and  went  with  great 
swiftness,  for  he  was  a  fast  runner.  Two  days  after  he 
left,  one  of  the  dogs  overtook  him,  and  said,  "The  meat 
is  gone  and  the  Head  is  trying  to  find  the  boys.  It  can 
follow  as  far  as  they  walked  but  no  farther.  Be  on  your 
guard  for  it  will  find  your  trail." 

The  dog  could  see  a  great  distance,  it  looked  back,  and 
said,  "The  Head  is  coming!  You  have  always  said  that 
no  one  could  outrun  you.  The  time  has  come  when  you 
must  exert  all  your  strength." 

When  the  Head  started,  the  dogs  left  behind  did  what 
they  could  to  delay  it.  They  bit  it  and  when  it  turned 
to  pursue  them,  they  dodged  into  the  ground.     It  went 


PURSUED    BY    HIS   UNCLE  315 

on  and  again  they  sprang  at  it  and  when  it  turned  they 
again  escaped  into  the  ground.  The  trail  of  the  Head 
could  be  seen  plainly  for  the  bark  was  gnawed  from  the 
trees  where  the  dogs  kept  it  back,  delayed  it  and  made 
it  angry. 

All  at  once,  far  off  in  the  West,  one  of  the  little  boys  said 
to  the  other,  "Our  father  is  in  trouble,  our  mother  is 
following  him." 

Soon  a  dog  came  up  to  the  man,  and  said,  "The  Head 
is  possessed  of  such  power  that  we  don't  know  how  to  keep 
it  back.  We  are  doing  what  we  can,  but  you  must  run 
with  all  your  strength/ ' 

The  man  ran  with  all  speed.  Seeing  a  house  he  darted 
into  it  and  called  out  to  an  old  man  sitting  there,  "Uncle, 
help  me!  A  terrible  Head  is  following  me  to  take  my 
life!" 

*  *  I  will  help  you  all  I  can, ' '  said  the  old  man,  ' '  but  hurry 
to  the  next  house,  your  aunts  live  there;  they  will  help 
you.    If  I  am  killed,  a  dark  cloud  will  go  up  to  the  sky." 

The  man  was  about  half  way  between  the  two  houses 
when  he  heard  a  terrible  noise  and  looking  back  saw  that 
the  Flying  Head  had  reached  his  uncle's  house  and  his 
uncle  was  fighting  it  with  all  his  strength.  When  he 
turned  a  second  time  he  saw  a  great  black  cloud  rise  into 
the  sky  and  he  knew  that  his  uncle  was  dead. 

That  minute  one  of  the  dogs  came  to  the  man,  and  said, 
"Your  uncle  is  dead.    He  was  never  beaten  before." 

When  the  Head  had  devoured  the  old  man's  flesh,  it 
rushed  after  the  husband. 

The  man  ran  as  fast  as  he  could.  When  almost  ex- 
hausted, he  saw  a  house,  ran  into  it  and  called  to  the 
women  sitting  there,  "Help  me!  help  me!  Something  is 
following  me  to  take  my  life!" 

"Poor  man,"  said  one  of  his  aunts.  "Hurry  on.  We 
will  do  what  we  can  to  delay  the  Head.  Go  to  the  next 
house.  Your  mother  lives  there.  Maybe  she  can  help 
you. ' ' 

The  man  wasn't  out  of  sight  of  the  house  when  he  heard 
a  great  noise  and  heard  his  aunts  call  to  their  children  to 
have  courage.  The  Head  flew  into  the  house,  and  bit  at 
everything  it  came  in  contact  with.     The  women  beat  it 


316  SENECA    MYTHS 

with  clubs.  The  man  heard  the  blows  fall  on  the  skull. 
When  he  was  half  way  to  his  mother's  house,  all  was  still 
at  his  aunts'  house.  Suddenly  his  invisible  brother  called 
out,  ' '  Run !    Run  or  we  are  lost ! ' ' 

The  invisible  brother  urged  the  man  forward,  pushed 
him  and  he  seemed  to  run  faster.  The  brother  urged  and 
pushed  till  they  reached  the  house. 

Then  the  man  cried,  " Mother,  help  me,  help  me!" 

' 'Poor  Son,  you  are  in  great  trouble/'  said  the  mother. 
1 '  Go  on,  we  will  do  what  we  can. ' ' 

The  man  hurried  through  the  house.  The  Head  came 
in  as  he  went  out.  The  dogs  ran  around  the  house  and 
urged  their  master  on. 

The  mother  called  to  her  children,  "Kill  the  Head  if 
you  can!     Fight  with  all  your  strength!" 

They  took  their  most  poisonous  weapons  and  began  to 
strike  the  Head.  One  of  the  women  stumbled  and  fell; 
the  Head  devoured  her  in  an  instant. 

The  old  mother  cautioned  her  children,  telling  them  to 
be  careful  and  make  no  misstep.  The  youngest  girl,  re- 
membering there  was  bears'  oil  in  the  house,  thought  she 
would  boil  it  and  see  if  she  couldn't  kill  the  Head  with 
boiling  oil.  While  the  Head  was  chasing  the  women 
through  the  house,  the  oil  began  to  boil,  then  the  girl 
seized  the  kettle  and  threw  the  oil  onto  the  Head.  It 
burned  and  killed  the  Head. 

"Your  brother  is  free,"  said  the  mother.  "We  ought 
to  have  a  game  of  ball.  It  is  our  duty  to  give  thanks. 
The  Head  will  be  the  ball." 

She  picked  up  the  Head,  carried  it  out  and  called  in 
a  loud  voice,  "Here,  warriors,  is  a  ball  for  you  to  play 
with." 

Soon  a  great  many  people,  with  netted  clubs  in  their 
hands,  came  and  began  to  play  ball.  (These  players  were 
animals  that  lived  in  the  forest.)  The  man  saw  them 
play  with  his  wife's  head.  Each  one  struggled  to  get  the 
ball  and  in  that  way  they  wore  it  out. 

One  of  the  dogs  said  to  him,  "Your  wife  is  dead  and 
you  are  safe." 

When  it  said,  "Your  wife  is  dead,"  the  man's  strength 
left  him,  his  arms  dropped  down,  and  he  was  very  sad. 


PURSUED    BY    HIS    UNCLE  317 

1  'You  are  sorry,"  said  the  invisible  brother,  "but  I  am 
glad.  Why  should  you  be  sad?  She  would  have  devoured 
you,  if  they  had  not  killed  her.  Now  there  is  no  one  to 
harm  us.     Our  uncle  will  not  trouble  us  again." 

"Your  children  are  living  off  in  that  direction,"  said 
he,  pointing  to  the  West.  ' '  Go  and  find  them. ' '  So  saying 
he  turned  and  when  the  brother  looked  after  him,  he  had 
disappeared. 

The  man  and  his  dogs  traveled  toward  the  West.  When 
the  dogs  left  the  children  they  were  near  a  house  at  the 
edge  of  a  village.  In  that  house  lived  an  old  woman  and 
her  granddaughter.  One  day  when  the  girl  was  in  the 
woods  stooping  down  to  pick  up  broken  boughs,  she  heard 
voices.  She  listened  and,  as  the  wind  came  toward  her, 
she  discovered  that  they  were  the  voices  of  children.  She 
went  home  with  her  wood,  told  her  grandmother  that  she 
had  heard  children  crying,  and  asked  her  to  come  to  the 
forest  and  listen. 

"It  is  a  pleasure  to  know  that  there  are  children  alive. 
They  must  be  for  us,"  said  the  grandmother.  "We  will 
go  and  find  them. ' ' 

When  they  came  to  the  place  where  the  girl  had  heard 
the  voices,  she  said,  "Now  listen!" 

"True,"  said  the  grandmother,  "there  are  children  in 
the  woods.  We  must  look  everywhere  till  we  find  them. 
Maybe  they  are  sent  to  us  because  we  are  alone." 

The  girl  followed  the  sound,  going  in  the  direction  from 
which  the  wind  came,  she  could  hear  distinctly  and  she 
knew  the  sound  came  from  near  the  ground.  At  last  she 
came  to  where  the  boys  were.  They  were  apparently 
about  a  year  old,  one  a  little  larger  than  the  other  and 
both  were  crying.  The  girl  began  to  comfort  the  children, 
to  tell  them  she  would  be  their  mother  and  be  kind  to 
them. 

While  she  was  talking,  her  grandmother  came.  She 
pitied  the  children  and  said  to  them,  "Stop  crying.  It 
is  the  will  of  the  Great  Spirit  that  you  should  be  our 
children.  I  will  be  your  grandmother  and  my  grand- 
daughter will  be  your  mother." 

"All  we  have  we  will  give  to  you,"  said  the  girl.  "I 
will  love  you  as  your  mother  would. ' ' 


318  SENECA    MYTHS 

The  boys  stopped  crying  and  went  home  with  the  girl. 
Each  boy  had  the  little  bow  and  arrow  and  ball  club  that 
his  father  had  made  for  him. 

1 'We  will  take  good  care  of  these  children,"  said  the 
grandmother.  "  There  are  many  people  in  our  village, 
but  not  a  child.  I  have  lived  here  a  long  time,  but  I  have 
never  seen  a  little  child.' ' 

When  the  boys  were  old  enough  to  hunt  for  birds,  their 
grandmother  gave  them  bows  and  arrows  and  they  brought 
in  a  good  deal  of  game. 

One  day  the  larger  boy  called,  ' '  Grandmother,  come  and 
see  what  I  have  killed.  It  is  covered  with  spots.  It  is 
over  here  in  the  weeds.' ' 

" Where  is  it?     Where  is  it?"  asked  the  grandmother. 

The  boys  led  the  way,  but  she  could  hardly  keep  in  sight 
of  them,  the  weeds  were  so  high.  On  reaching  the  spot 
she  found  a  fawn  a  few  hours  old.  She  carried  the  fawn 
home,  and  said  to  herself,  "I  am  thankful  that  I  have 
these  children.  They  will  be  great  hunters;  their  game 
is  getting  larger.  First  they  killed  birds,  now  they  have 
killed  a  fawn." 

One  day  the  larger  boy  said,  "Our  father  is  coming." 

"I  am  afraid  our  father  is  dead,"  answered  the  other 
boy. 

The  grandmother  overheard  this  and  told  the  boys  to 
go  and  hunt  for  birds,  she  was  hungry  for  bird  meat. 

The  next  day,  while  the  children  were  out,  a  man  came 
to  the  house.  The  invisible  brother  had  told  the  man  that 
when  he  came  to  the  old  woman's  house  he  must  say, 
"Grandmother,  I  am  glad  to  see  you,"  and  to  the  girl, 
"Sister,  I  am  glad  to  see  you."  As  the  man  went  in,  he 
saluted  the  old  woman  as  Grandmother,  and  to  the  girl 
he  said,  Sister. 

One  of  the  boys  said  to  the  other,  "Our  father  has 
come!" 

"I  don't  think  so,"  said  his  brother,  "Our  father  had 
dogs;  there  are  no  dogs  with  this  man."  To  find  out  he 
raised  the  skin  door  a  little  and  looking  in  he  saw  his 
father  sitting  there  with  his  elbow  on  his  knee  and  his 
face  on  his  hand. 

"We  must  find  the  dogs,"  said  the  larger  boy. 


PURSUED    BY    HIS    UNCLE  319 

They  followed  their  father's  tracks  and  they  hadn't 
gone  far  when  they  found  that  the  dogs  had  run  off  in 
another  direction.  They  tracked  the  dogs  and  toward 
night  found  them  standing  by  a  fallen  tree.  The  dogs 
heard  the  children's  voices  and  ran  to  meet  them.  They 
were  as  glad  to  see  the  boys  as  the  boys  were  to  see  them. 

"We  must  go  home,"  said  the  brothers,  but  they  didn't 
know  the  way. 

The  dogs  took  the  lead.  It  was  late  at  night  and  very 
dark  when  they  got  home. 

When  the  boys  didn't  come,  the  grandmother  and  grand- 
daughter were  frightened.  They  were  waiting  for  day- 
light to  come  so  they  could  hunt  for  them.  When  they 
came,  the  grandmother  asked,  "Why  did  you  stay  so  long 
and  frighten  us?" 

The  father  was  happy  to  be  with  his  children  again. 
The  girl  was  the  man's  sister  and  the  old  woman  was  his 
grandmother. 

They  all  lived  together  now  and  were  happy. 


A  LAZY  MAN 


Characters 


Dagwanoedyent  "Whirlwind 

Hedes Panther 


IN  Geneseo  there  was  a  young  man,  an  orphan,  who  went 
around  among  the  people,  staying  wherever  kind- 
hearted  persons  would  keep  him,  sleeping  on  the  ground 
by  a  brush  fire,  and  eating  whatever  was  given  to  him. 
When  he  was  twenty  years  old,  he  was  as  much  of  a  boy 
as  ever. 

A  chief,  who  was  rich  and  proud,  lived  in  Geneseo.  He 
had  a  daughter  and  two  or  three  sons.  One  day  the  orphan 
stopped  near  the  chief's  house  where  people  were  burning 
brush. 

One  of  the  chief 's  sons  came  out  and  said  to  him,  ' '  Don 't 
you  feel  poor  and  lonely  sitting  around  so?" 

"No,"  said  the  young  man,  "I  feel  as  rich  as  you  do." 

"Don't  you  sometimes  think  you  would  like  to  have  a 
wife?" 

"Yes,  I  sometimes  think  I  would  like  a  wife  if  I  could 
get  one." 

1  ■  What  would  you  think  of  my  sister  for  a  wife  ?  Many 
men  have  tried  to  marry  her,  but  she  refuses  everyone." 

"Oh,"  said  the  orphan,  looking  up,  "I  would  as  soon 
have  her  as  any  woman ;  she  is  handsome  and  rich. ' ' 

"I  will  ask  her  to  marry  you,"  said  the  brother,  think- 
ing to  have  fun  with  his  sister. 

He  went  to  the  house  and  said  to  her,  ' '  There  is  a  young 
man  out  there  by  the  fire,  who  would  like  to  marry  you. 
Will  you  be  his  wife?" 

320 


A  LAZY  MAN  321 

"I  will.    I  would  rather  marry  him  than  anyone  else." 

" Shall  I  tell  him  so?" 

'  'You  may." 

He  told  the  young  man,  who  said,  "I  shall  be  glad  to 
have  her  for  my  wife." 

The  brother,  in  fun,  repeated  this  to  his  sister,  who 
said,  "I  will  go  and  ask  him  myself." 

She  went  to  the  orphan,  and  asked,  ''What  did  my 
brother  say  to  you?" 

He  told  her,  and  she  said,  "I  will  go  with  you.  Come 
to-morrow  at  this  time  and  I'll  marry  you." 

The  next  morning  the  girl  got  leggings  and  moccasins 
for  the  young  man.  (He  had  never  worn  moccasins  in 
Summer.)  In  the  evening  he  came  to  where  she  was.  He 
washed,  put  on  the  leggings  and  embroidered  moccasins 
and  tied  up  his  hair.  She  told  him  then  that  he  could  go 
home  with  her,  but  he  must  not  talk  with  any  of  the  men, 
that  one  of  her  brothers  was  always  fooling. 

The  girl  became  the  orphan's  wife  and  he  lived  in  the 
chief's  house.  In  the  Fall  when  the  chief's  sons  were 
ready  to  go  deer  hunting,  the  young  woman  wanted  to  go. 
She  had  a  husband  and  she  thought  he  might  be  a  good 
hunter. 

The  man  had  never  hunted  but  he  said,  "I  will  go  and 
try." 

When  the  party  had  gone  some  distance,  they  camped 
and  began  to  hunt.  The  young  man  found  a  place  where 
there  were  wild  grape  vines.  He  made  a  swing,  then  sat 
in  it  and  swung  all  day,  didn't  try  to  hunt.  At  night  he 
went  home  without  game.  Each  morning  he  went  to  the 
swing  and  each  evening  he  went  home  without  game. 

The  brothers  killed  many  deer.  One  day  one  brother 
said  to  the  other,  "Our  brother-in-law  gets  no  game, 
maybe  he  doesn't  hunt."     They  agreed  to  watch  him. 

The  next  morning  they  followed  the  young  man,  found 
him  swinging  and  saw  that  the  ground  was  smooth  around 
the  swing.  Then  they  said,  "We  will  not  live  with  him 
and  feed  him.  We  will  leave  him,  go  a  day's  journey  away 
and  camp." 

They  left  the  man  and  woman  with  only  one  leg  of  deer 
meat. 


322  SENECA    MYTHS 

The  young  man  never  ate  much;  the  woman  ate  most 
of  the  meat.  When  it  was  gone,  she  began  to  be  afraid 
of  starving. 

One  day,  while  the  man  was  swinging,  a  horned  owl 
lighted  on  a  tree  nearby.  He  shot  the  owl  and  put  it 
under  the  swing  where  he  could  look  at  it  as  he  swung. 
His  wife  was  getting  very  hungry. 

That  night  when  he  came  home  without  game,  she  said, 
"If  I  have  nothing  to  eat  to-morrow,  I  will  be  too  weak 
to  get  up.    You  ought  to  kill  something. " 

"Well,  maybe  to-morrow  I  will  kill  something.'' 

The  next  morning  the  man  went,  as  usual,  to  the  swing. 
While  swinging  he  heard  a  woman  crying.  He  was  fright- 
ened and  stopped  swinging.  Soon  he  saw  a  female  panther 
coming  with  three  cubs.  She  was  crying.  As  she  ap- 
proached, he  heard  a  terrible  roar  in  the  North,  the  direc- 
tion from  which  the  panther  had  come.  Then  the  man 
saw  Whirlwind  coming,  tearing  down  all  the  trees  in  his 
path.    He  stopped  on  a  tree  near  the  swing. 

"You  know  now  what  harm  you  have  done,"  said 
Whirlwind  to  Panther. 

"Why  are  you  angry  with  the  panther?"  asked  the 
young  man.    "What  has  she  done  to  you?" 

"She  has  torn  up  my  best  feather  cap." 

"Why  do  you  think  so  much  of  your  cap?  It  must 
have  been  a  nice  one. ' ' 

1  '  It  was  nice. ' ' 

"What  kind  of  feathers  was  it  made  of?" 

"It  was  the  skin  and  feathers  of  a  horned  owl." 

"What  would  you  think  if  I  gave  you  another  cap?" 

"How  can  you  get  one?" 

The  young  man  picked  up  the  horned  owl  that  he  had 
killed  and  threw  it  at  Whirlwind.  Whirlwind  caught  it, 
said,  "Thank  you,  this  is  better  than  the  one  Panther 
destroyed,"  and  away  he  flew. 

Panther  thanked  the  man,  and  said,  "I  am  glad  that 
you  had  the  owl,  you  have  saved  my  life.  Now  I  will 
help  you.  Go  to  that  knoll  yonder,  behind  it  you  will  find 
two  bucks  fighting.  Shoot  them  both.  The  one  you  shoot 
first  will  not  run;  they  will  fight  till  they  die." 

The  young  man  found  the  bucks  and  watched  them  till 


A    LAZY    MAN  323 

they  killed  each  other.  Then,  taking  a  large  piece  of  meat, 
he  went  home  to  his  wife,  who  was  almost  starved. 

1 ' I  have  brought  you  meat, ' '  said  he,  "I  had  good  luck 
to-day." 

The  woman  sprang  up,  threw  the  meat  on  the  fire  and 
hardly  waited  for  it  to  cook  till  she  began  to  eat. 

They  dragged  the  bucks  home,  skinned  them,  and  had 
plenty  of  meat.  The  young  woman  dried  the  meat  and 
tanned  the  skins. 

Panther  told  the  man  to  always  hunt  near  the  swing  and 
he  would  kill  a  great  deal  of  game. 

When  they  had  a  large  quantity  of  meat,  the  man  said 
to  his  wife,  "Your  brothers  are  good  hunters.  No  doubt 
they  have  plenty  of  meat,  but  I  will  find  them  and  see." 

He  started.  On  the  way  he  killed  a  deer,  and  he  carried 
the  carcass  along.  He  found  the  camp  and  looking  in 
saw  the  brothers;  they  were  poor  and  weak. 

He  went  in,  and  asked,  ' '  How  are  you  ? ' ' 

"We  are  almost  starved,"  said  one  of  them.  "We  can 
find  nothing  to  kill." 

"Your  sister  and  I  have  a  plenty.  Come  and  live  with 
us.    I  have  meat  here.    Eat  and  then  come  to  my  camp." 

He  gave  them  the  deer  and  they  ate  the  meat  nearly  raw, 
they  were  so  hungry. 

When  they  started  for  the  young  man's  camp  he  went 
ahead,  got  home  quickly  and  told  his  wife  he  had  found 
her  brothers  nearer  starvation  than  she  had  been.  During 
the  night  the  brothers  came.  They  were  satisfied  and 
remained  with  their  sister  and  brother-in-law. 

After  a  while  they  all  went  back  to  the  village  loaded 
with  skins  and  venison.  Now  the  young  man  was  rich; 
and  he  and  his  wife  lived  ever  after  in  Geneseo  Valley. 


SWAN'S  DAUGHTEES  MARRY  EARTH- 
QUAKE'S  SON 


Characters 


Owee  yegodhd ji Old  Woman  Swan 

D6eudzowes Split  the  Earth  (Earthquake) 

Thagodhs6wes He  Splits  His  Face 

0  'owa Owl 


ONE  day  Swan  said  to  her  two  daughters,  "My  daugh- 
ters, I  have  had  a  great  deal  of  trouble  in  rearing 
you.  For  a  long  time  I've  eaten  nothing  but  mushrooms, 
I  am  hungry  for  meat.  You  are  old  enough  to  marry. 
Earthquake  Old  Woman  lives  near  here.  Her  son,  Split 
Face,  is  a  good  young  man  and  a  great  hunter.  You  must 
go  and  marry  him." 

The  girls  pounded  corn  for  the  marriage  bread.  The 
mother  baked  twenty  cakes  in  the  ashes,  wrapped  them 
in  corn  husks,  and  put  them  into  a  basket.  She  painted 
long  red  stripes  on  each  girl's  face  and  combed  her  long 
hair. 

Then,  giving  the  basket  to  the  elder,  she  said,  " Don't 
stop  till  you  come  to  Earthquake's  house.  Don't  ask  the 
way  of  anyone,  or  speak  to  anyone." 

The  elder  sister  took  the  basket  and  the  two  started. 
About  midday  they  saw  a  middle-aged  man  of  the  Owl 
people.  He  ran  across  the  trail  and  called  out,  "I  have 
lost  my  arrow!  I  shot  at  a  bird  and  the  arrow  went  so 
far  that  I  can't  find  it." 

"I  will  help  you  hunt  for  it,"  said  the  elder  sister, 
putting  her  basket  down  on  a  log. 

324 


SWAN'S  DAUGHTERS  MARRY        325 

The  younger  girl  didn't  want  to  look  for  the  arrow. 
She  said,  ''Mother  told  us  not  to  stop,  or  to  speak  to  any- 
one," but  she  followed  her  sister. 

The  man  ran  around  the  girls,  seized  the  basket  and 
carried  it  off.  When  the  girls  couldn't  find  the  arrow, 
they  went  back  to  the  log  where  they  had  left  the  basket. 
It  was  gone,  and  right  away  they  knew  that  the  old  man 
had  fooled  them.  They  went  home  and  when  their  mother 
asked  what  had  become  of  the  basket  the  second  sister 
said,  "We  met  a  man  who  had  lost  his  arrow.  While  we 
were  looking  for  it,  he  stole  our  basket." 

The  mother  scolded  the  elder  sister,  and  said,  "You 
don't  care  for  me.  You  know  that  I  am  hungry  for  meat, 
yet  you  disobey  me.  We  will  make  bread  to-morrow  and 
your  younger  sister  will  carry  it  to  Earthquake's  house." 

The  next  day  the  mother  made  marriage  bread,  got  her 
daughters  ready  for  the  road  and  gave  them  the  same 
command  as  before. 

The  girls  followed  the  same  trail.  Again  they  met  Owl 
and  this  time  the  elder  sister  asked  how  far  it  was  to 
Earthquake's  house. 

"It  isn't  far,"  said  Owl.  "It  is  right  over  there,"  and 
he  pointed  to  his  own  house.  They  went  to  the  house  and 
going  in  saw  Owl's  wife  and  his  little  boy.  They  put  the 
basket  of  marriage  bread  down  near  the  woman. 

Owl  told  his  wife  to  go  to  the  other  side  of  the  fire  and 
pretend  to  be  his  sister.  He  sat  down  between  the  two 
girls  and  when  the  little  boy  called  him  "Father,"  he 
said,  "He  is  my  sister's  son.  His  father  died  yesterday, 
he  is  calling  for  him,"  and  Owl  began  to  cry  for  his 
brother-in-law. 

Someone  was  heard  coming  toward  the  cabin.  Then 
there  was  a  kick  on  the  door  and  a  man  called  out, 
' '  0  'owa,  they  want  you  at  the  long  house ! ' ' 

Owl  said,  "My  people  always  call  me  by  a  nickname. 
They  are  holding  a  council  and  can't  get  along  without 
me.    I  must  go.    I'll  come  back  soon,"  and  he  went  away. 

The  younger  sister  said,  "This  isn't  Earthquake's  house. 
If  we  can  get  our  basket  we  will  go  home." 

When  Owl's  wife  fell  asleep,  the  younger  girl  took  the 
basket  and  said  to  her  sister,  "Now  we  must  go." 


326  SENECA    MYTHS 

They  started  for  home.  Soon  they  came  to  an  opening 
and  in  the  center  of  the  opening  was  a  long  house.  They 
crept  up  cautiously  and  looking  through  a  crack  saw 
Earthquake  and  near  her  sat  her  son,  a  nice  looking  young 
man.  There  were  two  fireplaces  in  the  house  and  many 
men  and  women  were  sitting  around  them.  Owl  was 
dancing  and  as  he  danced  people  threw  pieces  of  meat  and 
of  mush  into  his  mouth.  The  girls  recognized  him  and 
knew  that  they  had  been  fooled  again.  They  went  into 
the  house  and  putting  the  basket  of  bread  near  Earthquake, 
they  sat  down,  one  on  each  side  of  the  young  man. 

The  mother  was  glad;  she  liked  the  girls.  When  Owl 
saw  them,  he  dropped  his  blanket  and  ran  out  of  the  house. 

Swan's  daughters  lived  with  Split  Face  and  were  happy. 
He  was  a  good  hunter  and  they  had  a  plenty  to  eat.  After 
a  while  their  mother-in-law  said,  "You  must  carry  your 
mother  some  meat,  she  is  hungry." 

Earthquake  took  a  large  quantity  of  meat,  made  a  pack 
of  it,  made  the  pack  small  and  giving  it  to  the  elder  sister, 
said,  "Have  your  mother  come  back  with  you,  I  will  give 
her  a  fire  to  live  by." 

When  Swan  had  eaten  enough  and  was  glad,  she  went 
home  with  her  daughters.  And  she  lived  with  them  ever 
after  happy  and  contented. 


HODADEIO  AND  HIS  SISTER 

[Told  by  George  Titus] 


Characters 
Hodadeio11 
Yeyenthwus 

Hadjisgwas    Mush-Eater 

Odzi'neowa Wasp 

Dagwanoedyent Whirlwind  (Big  Head) 

Otgoedaqsais Otgoe'  (Wampum) 

Shagodyoweq One  of  the  Wind  Characters 

Dagwahgweoses Long  Eyebrows 


HODADEIOn  and  his  sister,  Yeyenthw{js,  lived  in 
a  bark  house.  When  the  sister  went  out  to  plant, 
she  fastened  the  door  of  the  house  so  nothing  could  harm 
her  little  brother.  She  did  not  let  him  go  out.  She  got 
coon's  feet  for  him  to  play  with  and  made  him  bows  and 
arrows.  When  he  played,  he  threw  up  the  coon's  feet 
and  told  an  arrow  to  strike  them  and  the  arrow  always 
hit  them  before  they  touched  the  ground. 

One  day  while  the  sister  was  at  home,  a  voice  was  heard 
in  the  loft  of  the  house,  saying,  "Mush,  Brother!  Mush, 
Brother!" 

"Who  is  that?"  asked  the  boy,  "I  thought  we  were 
alone  in  the  house." 

"Poor  brother,"  said  the  sister,  "He  is  only  just  alive." 

"Well,  Sister,  make  him  some  mush,"  said  the  little 
boy. 

327 


328  SENECA    MYTHS 

The  girl  uncovered  a  place  under  her  couch,  took  out 
a  very  small  kettle  and  a  little  piece  of  a  chestnut,  got 
water,  put  the  least  bit  scraped  from  the  chestnut  into 
the  kettle  and  boiled  it.  As  it  boiled  she  stirred  it  and 
Struck  the  kettle,  and  as  she  struck  the  kettle  it  grew  till 
at  last  it  was  as  large  as  any  kettle  and  was  full  of  mush. 
When  the  mush  was  cooked,  she  took  it  off  the  fire,  poured 
it  into  a  bark  bowl  and  said  to  Hodadeio11,  "Go  up  the 
ladder  and  feed  your  brother." 

The  little  boy  climbed  the  ladder  and  found  a  man 
lying  in  the  loft,  and  saying  to  him,  "I  have  brought  you 
mush,  my  Brother,"  he  put  the  bowl  down  near  him  and 
went  away. 

The  brother,  whose  name  was  Mush-eater,  took  two  or 
three  mouthfuls  of  the  mush  and  the  bowl  was  empty;  all 
the  mush  was  eaten.  Then  he  blew  out  two  or  three  puffs 
of  breath,  rubbed  his  arms  and  legs  and  began  to  sing. 

The  boy  heard  singing  and  beating  of  time  overhead, 
and,  a  little  later  he  heard  his  brother  call  out,  ' '  Tobacco ! 
tobacco!"  and  he  said,  "My  Sister,  our  brother  wants 
to  smoke." 

"Our  poor  brother,"  said  the  girl,  "he  is  barely  alive, 
he  lives  on  chestnut  pudding  and  tobacco."  She  got  a 
big  pipe,  put  in  tobacco  and  a  coal  of  fire,  gave  it  to  the 
little  boy,  and  said,  "Take  it  up  to  our  brother." 

Hodadeio11  went  to  the  loft,  and  said,  "My  Brother,  I 
have  come  with  a  pipe  for  you." 

"Thank  you,"  said  Mush-eater,  and  with  one  puff  he 
so  filled  the  place  with  smoke  that  he  nearly  smothered  the 
boy  before  he  could  get  away. 

Soon  a  sound  was  heard  as  though  Mush-eater  had 
blown  through  the  pipe  stem  and  rapped  the  ashes  out 
of  the  pipe.  Then  he  began  to  sing,  and  they  thought  his 
voice  was  stronger. 

Yeyenthwus  tied  the  door,  fastened  in  her  little  brother 
and  went  out  to  plant. 

While  his  sister  was  gone,  the  boy  thought  he  would 
like  to  make  some  chestnut  mash  for  his  brother  and  sing 
and  dance  for  him.  He  found  the  kettle  under  his  sister's 
couch,  took  the  piece  of  chestnut  and  scraped  every  bit 
of  it  into  the  kettle,  filled  the  kettle  with  water  and  when 


HODADEIO*  AND  HIS  SISTER        329 

the  water  boiled  he  began  to  strike  the  kettle.  He  struck 
it  till  it  was  as  large  as  any  kettle  and  full  of  mush.  When 
he  poured  the  mush  out,  he  had  a  great  bark  bowl  full. 

He  took  the  bowl  to  the  loft,  and  said,  "My  Brother, 
I  have  made  you  another  bowl  of  mush." 

1 *  Thank  you,  Brother, ' '  said  Hadjisgwas,  who  took  the 
mush  and  ate  it,  rubbed  himself  and  began  to  sing.  He 
was  stronger  now  and  sang  a  regular  song.  After  the  boy 
put  away  the  kettle,  he  thought,  "My  brother  must  have 
a  smoke." 

So  he  took  all  the  tobacco  there  was,  cut  it  up,  put  it 
in  the  pipe,  carried  the  pipe  to  the  loft,  and  said,  "My 
Brother,  I  have  brought  your  pipe.  After  you  have  smoked 
I  want  you  to  sing;  I  will  dance." 

Mush-eater  drew  such  a  puff  that  the  little  boy  had  to 
hurry  down  the  ladder  to  get  away  from  the  smoke.  He 
wasn't  long  down  when  his  sister  came. 

"Oh,  Sister,"  said  he,  "I've  made  our  brother  a  bowl- 
ful of  mush." 

"How  did  you  make  it?" 

"I  cut  up  the  chestnut  and  boiled  it." 

"Oh,  now  he  will  die." 

"After  he  ate  the  mush  I  gave  him  a  smoke,"  said  the 
boy. 

"How  did  you  do  that?" 

"I  shaved  up  the  piece  of  tobacco,  put  it  in  the  pipe 
and  gave  him  the  pipe." 

"Now  we  will  surely  lose  our  brother.  You  have  done 
great  harm,"  said  Yeyenthwus. 

"Well,  my  Sister,  where  are  the  chestnuts?  I  will  go 
and  get  more  of  them." 

"Those  chestnuts  grow  at  the  eastern  end  of  the  world 
and  this  side  of  them,  where  the  tobacco  grows,  there  are 
witches.  Before  one  comes  to  the  house  of  the  witches 
there  is  a  river  with  trees  thrown  across  to  walk  on.  ^  Just 
beyond  the  river  are  two  rattlesnakes,  one  on  each  side  of 
the  trail,  and  they  attack  every  person  who  goes  that  way. 
If  you  pass  the  rattlesnakes  safely,  >  you  will  come  to  a 
mountain,  so  steep  that  no  man  can  climb  it. 

"There  is  put  one  pass  through  that  mountain.  Just 
beyond  the  pass  stand  two  Shagodyoweqs,  each  one  half 


330  SENECA    MYTHS 

as  tall  as  a  tree.  If  you  should  succeed  in  passing  those 
men  and  go  farther,  there  are  two  men  at  the  edge  of  an 
opening.  The  minute  those  men  see  any  one  they  give  an 
alarm  and  women  run  up  and  attack  whomsoever  they 
find.  If  you  should  get  by  those  men  and  reach  a  knoll, 
you  would  see  a  house  and  in  front  of  it  a  platform  on 
which  a  woman  is  walking  back  and  forth.  As  soon  as 
that  woman  sees  a  stranger,  she  begins  to  sing,  and  witches 
rush  out  of  the  house  and  kill  him.'' 

The  next  day  when  Yeyenthwus  went  out  to  plant,  she 
fastened  the  door.  While  she  was  gone,  the  little  boy 
heard  some  living  thing  moving  around  outside  and  he 
tried  to  get  out  and  shoot  it,  but  he  couldn't  open  the 
door.  Then  he  heard  a  noise  on  the  top  of  the  house,  and 
glancing  up  saw  something  looking  down  at  him.  He 
didn't  know  what  kind  of  a  creature  it  was,  but  he  said, 
"You  are  Speckled  Face,  anyhow,  and  I'll  shoot  you." 

He  drew  his  bow  and  said  to  the  arrow,  "I  want  you 
to  go  straight  to  the  game." 

The  arrow  struck  and  killed  the  creature.  The  boy 
wanted  to  bring  the  game  in,  and  not  being  able  to  open 
the  door,  he  dug  a  hole  through  the  earth  near  the  door, 
got  out,  brought  in  the  game,  put  it  in  the  corn  mortar, 
covered  it  and  when  his  sister  came,  he  said,  ' '  My  sister, 
I  have  killed  game." 

"Where  is  it?"  asked  she. 

"In  the  corn  mortar,"  answered  Hodadeio11.  He  ran 
and  brought  the  game  to  his  sister. 

1 '  That  is  a  chickadee, ' '  said  she. 

Yeyenthwus  dressed  the  bird,  cooked  it  on  the  coals, 
then  began  to  eat.     The  boy  stood  and  watched  her. 

After  a  while  he  asked,  "Is  it  good?" 

"It  is  good,"  said  his  sister. 

He  looked  a  while  longer,  then  asked,  "Are  you  going 
to  give  me  some?" 

"No,  this  is  the  first  game  you  have  killed,  you  mustn't 
eat  of  the  first,  it  wouldn't  be  right." 

The  next  morning  the  boy  said  to  his  sister,  "You  must 
tie  a  belt  around  me,  I  am  going  out." 

She  had  to  do  as  he  said,  she  couldn't  help  it.    She  put 


HODADEIOn  AND  HIS  SISTER        331 

the  belt  on  him,  and  said,  "You  must  not  go  North  or 
far  away.    Stay  near  the  house. ' ' 

Yeyenthwus  went  to  her  planting  and  the  boy  went 
out  to  hunt  for  game.  He  saw  a  bird  on  a  tree,  and  said, 
"You  must  be  the  bird  they  call  Robin."  He  killed  the 
bird,  carried  it  to  the  house  and  put  it  in  the  corn  mortar. 
When  his  sister  came  he  showed  it  to  her. 

"  Oh, ' '  said  she,  ' '  this  is  a  robin. ' '  She  dressed,  cooked 
and  ate  the  robin,  didn't  give  the  boy  even  one  bite. 

The  next  morning  he  got  up  early  so  as  to  go  hunting 
in  good  time.  After  he  had  eaten,  he  said,  "My  Sister, 
put  on  my  belt." 

She  made  him  ready  for  the  day  then  both  went  out, 
the  girl  to  her  planting,  the  boy  to  hunt. 

After  he  had  been  out  a  while  he  saw  a  bird,  and  said, 
"I  think  you  are  the  bird  that  is  called  Pigeon." 

He  killed  the  bird,  carried  it  home  and  put  it  in  the 
corn  mortar. 

When  his  sister  came  she  dressed  the  bird,  divided  it 
into  two  parts,  put  one  part  away  and  cutting  the  other 
into  pieces  said  she  would  make  dumplings.  She  pounded 
corn-meal,  mixed  the  meat  with  it,  made  two  dumplings  and 
both  ate  of  them. 

The  next  day  the  boy  went  farther  than  before.  He 
saw  a  bird  running  along,  and  said,  "You  must  be  what 
they  call  Striped  Tail." 

He  drew  his  bow  and  shot  the  bird.  When  it  ran,  he 
called,   "Stop,  don't  break  my  best  arrow!" 

The  bird  died.  The  boy  had  all  he  could  do  to  carry 
it  home. 

He  put  it  in  the  corn  mortar  and  when  his  sister  came 
and  saw  it,  she  said,  ' '  This  is  a  Partridge. ' ' 

The  next  morning  Hodadeio11  went  farther  than  the 
day  before.  He  saw  a  creature  coming  toward  him.  He 
watched  it  and  said,  "I  think  it  is  you  that  people  call 
'Pine  Leaves  Hanging  Down.'  "  He  drew  his  bow  and 
shot. 

When  the  wounded  bird  struggled  he  called  out,  "Stop! 
don't  break  my  best  arrow." 

It  stopped  struggling  and  died.  He  tried  to  pick  it  up 
but  he  couldn't  lift  it. 


332  SENECA    MYTHS 

He  went  to  where  his  sister  was  planting,  and  said, 
"My  Sister,  I  have  killed  big  game.    I  can't  carry  it." 

She  went  with  him  and  when  she  saw  the  game,  she  said, 
"This  is  what  we  call  Turkey."  She  carried  the  turkey 
home,  dressed  it,  put  half  away  and  cooked  the  other  half. 

The  next  day  the  boy  went  farther  than  before.  He 
found  tracks  all  going  in  the  same  direction,  and  said, 
"My  sister  never  told  me  that  people  live  around  here 
and  that  there  was  a  trail. ' '  He  put  his  feet  in  the  tracks 
and  found  they  were  as  if  made  by  his  own  feet.  Right 
before  him  on  the  trail  he  saw  game  coming.  He  drew 
his  bow,  pierced  the  animal  with  his  arrow  and  as  it  went 
floundering  along  he  called  out,  "Don't  break  the  arrow; 
it's  my  best  one." 

The  animal  fell  over  and  died.  The  boy  ran  up  and 
pulled  out  the  arrow,  then  went  for  his  sister. 

When  she  came  she  said,  "This  is  Coon." 

She  caught  the  coon  up  by  one  leg,  threw  it  over  her 
shoulder  and  went  home.  She  cooked  a  part  of  the  coon 
and  made  bread.  While  the  meat  was  cooking,  she  skimmed 
off  the  oil,  telling  her  brother  that  she  had  wanted  oil 
for  a  long  time.  When  the  oil  was  cool  she  rubbed  it 
into  her  hair. 

The  next  day  when  Hodadeio11  saw  game,  he  said,  "You 
must  be  the  one  they  call  Big  Feathers." 

The  animal  saw  him  and  turned  to  run.  He  shot  but  the 
creature  ran  off  out  of  sight.  The  boy  thought,  "I  have 
lost  my  best  arrow,  but  I'll  follow  the  game."  He  hadn't 
gone  far  when  he  found  the  animal  lying  dead  on  the 
trail. 

He  ran  for  his  sister  and  when  she  came  she  thanked 
him,  and  said,  "This  time  you  have  killed  a  buck." 

She  brought  a  strap,  braided  out  of  corn  husks,  so  as 
to  carry  the  meat  home  on  her  back.  She  skinned  the 
buck  and  divided  it.  Hodadeio11  wanted  to  carry  a  part, 
so  his  sister  cut  off  the  feet,  tied  them  together  and  gave 
them  to  him.  She  carried  half  of  the  animal  home  and 
went  back  for  the  other  half. 

The  next  day  Hodadeio11  killed  a  bear.  They  had  a 
good  meal  that  night  and  the  sister  had  plenty  of  hair  oil. 

The  next  day  they  went  out  as  usual,   Hodadeio11  to 


HODADEIO  AND  HIS  SISTER        333 

hunt  and  Yeyenthwus  to  plant.  The  boy  went  to  the 
place  where  he  had  killed  the  bear,  but  he  could  find  no 
game.  Then  he  went  in  a  circle  and  as  he  looked  toward 
the  North  it  seemed  very  pleasant.  There  was  an  opening 
in  front  of  him  and  he  thought  he  would  go  to  it,  perhaps 
he  would  find  game. 

He  went  to  the  middle  of  the  opening  where  there  was 
a  house,  he  peeped  in  through  a  crack,  and  saw  a  crowd  of 
naked  men  of  the  Wasp  people  dancing. 

Soon  one  of  the  men  said,  ''Some  one  is  looking  at 
us." 

Another  said,  "Let  us  kill  him." 

Hodadeio11  turned  and  ran  towards  the  woods.  The  men 
chased  him  to  the  edge  of  the  opening  and  then  went  back. 

The  boy  went  home,  took  a  long  stick  of  wood  from  a 
pile  his  sister  had  gathered,  carried  it  to  the  edge  of  the 
opening,  stuck  it  into  the  ground  and  said  to  it,  "When 
the  men  in  that  house  over  there  run  after  me  with  clubs, 
do  you  fight  them  and  help  me." 

He  brought  a  second  stick,  put  it  down  by  the  first,  and 
spoke  to  it  as  he  had  to  the  other  stick.  He  kept  on  in 
this  way  till  he  had  a  great  many  sticks  standing  in  the 
ground.     Then  he  ran  to  the  house  and  looked  in. 

The  men  saw  him,  and  said,  "Let  us  kill  him  this  time." 

They  ran  out,  with  their  clubs,  and  pursued  the  boy  till 
they  came  to  the  edge  of  the  opening,  then  the  sticks  be- 
came people  and  fought  with  them.  They  killed  all  of 
the  naked  men. 

Hodadeio11  dragged  the  men,  one  after  another,  into  the 
house  and  burned  up  the  house.  Then  he  carried  the 
sticks  back  to  his  sister's  wood  pile  and  went  on  till  he 
came  to  the  stump  of  a  broken  tree.  The  stump  became 
a  man  and  called  out,  "I  have  caught  you,  Nephew." 

The  boy  walked  up  to  the  man.  The  man  said,  "lam 
Hodiadatgon,  the  great  wizard.  What  would  you  do  if 
it  should  rain  spears  on  you?" 

"Oh,"  said  the  boy,  "my  sister  and  I  would  be  glad, 
for  we  have  no  spears  to  fish  with. ' ' 

Then  he  turned  and  ran  as  fast  as  he  could.  His  sister 
was  in  the  house,  he  ran  around  it,  and  said,  "Let  our 
house  be  stone ! ' '  and  straightway  it  was  stone. 


334  SENECA    MYTHS 

Just  as  he  went  into  the  house  he  heard  a  terrible  roar 
and  a  great  rain  of  spears  came  down.  Some  broke  on 
the  roof,  others  fell  to  the  ground. 

When  the  shower  was  over,  his  sister  said,  "You  have 
been  towards  the  North." 

"I  have,  but  I'll  not  go  again." 

But  while  he  was  at  play  he  thought,  "I  will  go  to  my 
uncle  and  be  the  first  to  say,  'I've  caught  you,'  "  and  he 
started  off.  He  went  as  near  his  uncle  as  he  could  without 
being  seen,  then  called  a  mole,  entered  his  body  and  went 
under  the  ground  up  to  the  roots  of  the  stump  where  his 
uncle  was. 

Then  he  called  out,  "What  would  you  say  if  a  fire  were 
to  come  and  burn  up  that  stump  and  the  woods  and  all 
there  is  around  here?" 

1 '  Oh,  my  Nephew,  don 't  do  that. ' ' 

"I  didn't  say,  'Don't  do  that/  when  you  sent  a  rain  of 
spears  on  me  and  my  sister." 

That  minute  a  thick  smoke  rose  and  soon  the  woods 
were  in  a  blaze.  The  fire  spread  to  where  the  old  man 
was.  He  fell  to  the  ground,  his  head  burst  and  an  owl 
came  out  of  it  and  flew  away. 

Hodadeio11  went  on,  but  he  hadn't  gone  far  when  he 
came  to  an  opening  in  which  there  was  a  house.  He  crept 
up  to  the  house  and  looking  in  through  a  crack  saw  an 
old  man  with  both  eyes  closed.  All  at  once  the  old  man 
called,  ' '  Come  in,  Nephew !    Come  in ! " 

The  boy  went  in  and  the  old  man  said,  "I  always  play 
dice  with  people  who  come  to  see  me.  I  will  play  with 
you."  He  brought  out  six  night-owl  eyes  for  dice,  and 
said,  "If  they  all  turn  up  the  same,  the  throw  will  count 
five,  if  not  it  will  count  one." 

The  old  man  wanted  the  boy  to  play  first,  but  he  refused 
to.  Then  the  old  man  put  the  six  eyes  into  a  dish  and 
shook  the  dish.  The  eyes  went  out  through  the  smoke- 
hole  and  when  they  came  back  to  the  dish  they  counted 
but  one. 

"Now,"  said  the  nephew,  "take  your  dice  out  of  the 
dish,  I  have  dice  of  my  own." 

Hodadeio"  put  in  his  dice  which  were  wood-cocks'  eyes, 
shook  the  dish  and  threw  the  eyes  up.    They  went  through 


HODADEIO  AND  HIS  SISTER        335 

the  smoke-hole  and  high  into  the  air.  The  boy  kept  say- 
ing, "Let  them  all  come  of  one  color,' '  but  the  uncle  said, 
"Let  them  come  of  different  colors."  All  came  alike;  the 
old  man  lost. 

"Nephew,"  said  he,  "let  me  have  one  smoke." 

"Oh,  no,"  said  the  boy,  "I  can't  do  that." 

He  cut  off  the  old  man's  head.  Then  he  went  on  till 
he  came  to  a  third  opening.  In  the  center  of  the  opening 
was  a  high  rock  and  on  the  rock  was  an  enormous  Head, 
with  big  eyes  and  long  hair,  a  Dagwanoe^ent,  (Whirl- 
wind). 

The  boy  went  up  to  the  rock  and  the  Head  called  out, 
"My  Nephew,  I've  been  wishing  that  you  would  come  to 
see  me.     Now  we  will  play  hide-and-seek." 

Hodadeio11  was  to  hide  first — the  Head  faced  the  other 
way.  That  minute  Hodadeio11  became  a  flea  and  hid  in 
the  long  bushy  hair  of  Dagwanoeuyent,  then  he  called  out 
in  a  far  away  voice,  "You  can't  find  me,  Uncle;  you  can't 
find  me." 

Dagwanoedyent  looked  all  around;  up  in  the  air,  in 
the  trees,  everywhere.  At  last  he  saw  a  weed  with  a  knot 
on  its  stem,  and  he  said,  ' '  Nephew,  you  are  in  that  knot. ' ' 

But  he  wasn't  there. 

He  looked  around  a  second  time  and  saw  a  knot  on 
one  of  the  trees.  "You  are  in  the  knot  on  that  tree, 
Nephew. ' ' 

"I  am  not,"  answered  Hodadeio11. 

When  Dagwanoe^ent  couldn't  find  the  boy  he  was 
terribly  frightened.  "There  is  danger,"  said  he,  and  he 
flew  off  the  rock  and  went  far  away,  then  he  rose  above 
the  clouds  and  sat  on  them. 

The  boy  called  out  from  his  uncle's  long  shaggy  hair, 
"You  can't  find  me,  Uncle;  you  can't  find  me." 

"Oh,"  said  the  uncle  to  himself,  "I  have  come  to  the 
place  where  he  is.  There  is  danger  here,"  and  he  flew  off 
to  an  island  in  the  sea,  and  there  the  boy  called  out,  * '  You 
can 't  find  me,  Uncle ;  you  can 't  find  me. ' ' 

He  could  not  and  he  flew  back  to  the  rock  in  the  open- 
ing, and  there  the  boy  called  out,  "You  can't  find  me, 
Uncle." 

"I  have  lost  the  game,"  said  Dagwanoedyent,  "but  I 


336  SENECA    MYTHS 

didn't  bet  my  head.  You  may  have  control  of  the  three 
women  who  are  pounding  corn  outside  that  house  at  the 
edge  of  the  opening. ' ' 

The  women  were  man-eaters.  They  were  angry  when 
they  heard  these  words.  They  took  their  clubs  and  ran 
toward  the  boy  to  strike  him.  He  willed  them  dead  and 
they  dropped  to  the  ground.  He  cut  off  their  heads  and 
burned  up  their  house. 

The  uncle  and  nephew  became  friends  and  the  uncle 
said,  ''Nephew,  if  ever  you  get  into  trouble,  think  of  me 
and  I  will  help  you/' 

The  boy  went  home,  sat  down  and  began  to  laugh. 

His  sister  asked,  "What  are  you  laughing  about V 

"I  am  laughing  because  I  have  put  an  end  to  my  uncle 
in  the  first  opening,  and  my  uncle  who  played  dice.  I 
have  beaten  Dagwanoeqyent  and  frightened  him  terribly, 
I  have  killed  the  three  women  who  were  man-eaters." 

The  sister  said,  "I  thank  you,  my  Brother.  Many  per- 
sons have  been  deceived  and  killed  by  our  uncles  and  those 
women. ' ' 

That  night  the  boy  said  to  his  sister,  "Make  me  parched 
corn  meal  and  two  dumplings  with  bear  fat  in  them.  To- 
morrow I  am  going  to  get  the  chestnuts." 

She  did  as  he  asked. 

The  next  morning  he  set  out  and  kept  on  his  way  till  he 
came  to  a  river  over  which  a  tree  had  fallen.  He  went 
half  way  across  on  the  tree.  Two  snakes  began  to  rattle, 
he  went  back,  caught  two  chipmunks  then  came  to  the 
tree  and  walked  on  it  till  he  reached  the  snakes.  He  gave 
a  chipmunk  to  each  one,  and  said,  "You  are  free  now, 
but  I  will  kill  you  if  you  don't  leave  this  place."  The 
snakes  ran  away. 

Hodadeio11  went  on  till  he  came  to  the  opening.  At  the 
farther  end  was  a  mountain.  He  found  the  pass,  walked 
in  and  as  he  was  coming  out  on  the  other  side  he  heard  all 
at  once,  "Hou,  hon,  hon,  lwn!"  and  saw  the  two  Shagody- 
oweqs,  half  as  tall  as  the  highest  tree. 

"Keep  still,  keep  still,"  said  Hodadeio11,  "I  have 
brought  you  dumplings"  and  he  gave  each  of  them  a  dump- 
ling. Then  he  said,  "You  are  free  now,  you  needn't  guard 
this  place  any  longer." 


HODADEIO  AND  HIS  SISTER        337 

Hodadeio11  traveled  on  till  he  saw  two  white  herons.  He 
went  into  the  woods  and  dug  up  wild  beans.  Then  he 
came  back  and  going  as  near  the  herons  as  he  dared,  he 
called  out  ' '  Stop  !  stop  !  here  are  beans  for  you. ' '  "When 
they  had  eaten  the  beans  he  set  them  free,  saying,  "Go 
from  here  and  do  not  come  back." 

He  went  on  till  he  saw  the  woman  walking  back  and 
forth  on  a  platform.  He  peeled  bark  from  a  slippery  elm 
tree,  marked  it  off  in  small  pieces  and  made  it  turn  to 
wampum.  Then  he  called  a  mole,  and  said,  ' '  Carry  me  to 
the  platform." 

The  mole  took  him  to  the  platform  and  before  the  woman 
could  call  out  he  gave  her  the  wampum,  and  said,  "Keep 
quiet. ' ' 

He  left  the  mole  and  went  to  a  tree  where  there  were 
great  piles  of  chestnuts.  He  took  a  nut,  split  it,  put  one 
half  into  his  bag  and  hurried  back.  He  had  almost  reached 
the  woods  when  the  woman  on  watch,  cried,  "I  have  seen 
a  man!,, 

One  of  the  three  sisters  ran  out  and  looked  at  the  woman, 
who  changed  her  words,  and  called,  "I  have  lied." 

The  sisters  were  angry  and  wanted  to  kill  the  woman, 
she  called  again,  "I  have  seen  a  man!" 

The  mother  said,  "Do  your  best,  my  daughters,  do  your 
best.  It  must  be  Hodadeio11.  Kill  him  and  finish  his 
family. ' ' 

They  saw  Hodadeio11  off  in  the  distance.  The  eldest 
sister  ran  ahead,  when  she  was  near  the  boy  she  raised  her 
club  to  strike,  but  he  disappeared  in  the  ground  and  she 
struck  her  kneepan  such  a  blow  that  she  fell  and  could  go 
ho  farther. 

The  next  minute  Hodadeio11  was  up  and  walking  along 
again.  The  second  sister  overtook  him  and  raised  her  club 
to  strike.  He  disappeared.  She  struck  her  kneepan  and 
fell.  The  youngest  sister  tried  with  the  same  result  and 
then  the  old  woman.  All  four  were  disabled  and  Hodad- 
eio11 went  home,  unharmed. 

He  gave  his  sister  the  half  chestnut^  and  said,  ' '  Make 
plenty  of  mush  for  our  brother." 

One  day  when  Hodadeio11  was  playing  near  the  house 
he  cried  out  suddenly  and  fell  to  the  ground.     His  sister 


338  SENECA    MYTHS 

ran  to  him,  and  asked,  "What  is  the  matter?  "Where  are 
you  hurt?" 

"I'm  not  hurt." 

"Why  do  you  cry?" 

"I  heard  Otgoedaqsais  sing  a  song  and  call  on^  my 
name;  he  says  I  am  his  brother." 

i  l  That  is  true, ' '  said  Yeyenthwus,  "  He  is  in  the  East,  at 
the  place  where  the  sun  comes  up.  He  is  tied  to  a  stake 
and  people  burn  him  with  brands  of  fire  and  torment  him 
to  make  him  cry.  His  tears  are  wampum  and  when  they 
fall  people  run  and  pick  them  up." 

"Where  does  tobacco  grow?"  asked  Hodadeio11. 

"On  the  other  side  of  the  world  where  Long  Eye- 
brows lives.  He  stole  our  tobacco  from  us  and  carried  it 
off.    No  one  can  conquer  him,  for  he  is  a  great  wizard." 

That  night  the  boy  told  his  sister  to  pound  parched  corn 
and  make  meal  for  him. 

In  the  morning,  when  he  was  ready  for  the  road,  he  put 
the  bundle  of  food  on  his  back  and  started.  But  the 
bundle  was  so  heavy  that  at  midday  he  had  only  reached 
the  edge  of  the  opening  where  their  house  was.  He  sat 
down  there  and  ate. 

Yeyenthwus,  who  was  watching  him  all  the  time,  said, 
"Poor  brother,  I  think  he  will  come  back." 

She  looked  again ;  he  was  gone. 

In  the  evening  Hodadeio11  hunted  for  a  hollow  tree.  He 
found  one,  crawled  in  and  was  lying  there  quietly  when  he 
heard  footsteps  and  soon  a  man  came  to  the  tree  and  called 
out,  "Hodadeio11,  are  you  here?" 

"I  am,"  answered  the  boy. 

"Well,  what  would  you  do  if  a  Shagodyoweq  should 
come  to  kill  you?" 

"I  would  have  sport  with  him." 

The  man  went  away  and  soon  a  Shagodyoweq  came. 

Hodadeio11  took  aim  and  hit  him  with  an  arrow,  then  he 
drew  back  into  the  tree  and  went  to  sleep.  In  the  morning 
he  saw  a  trail  with  trees  broken  and  torn  up  and  after 
a  while  he  found  a  Shagodyoweq  dead.  He  pulled  out  his 
arrow  and  went  on. 

Soon  the  boy  came  to  a  large  lake,  on  the  opposite  side 
of  the  lake  was  a  village.    He  searched  till  he  found  an 


HODADEIO  AND  HIS  SISTER        339 

oak-puff  ball.  Placing  the  ball  at  the  edge  of  the  water, 
he  entered  it  and  caused  a  wind  to  blow.  The  ball  swept 
over  the  lake.  Hodadeio11  went  through  the  village  till  he 
came  to  the  last  house  on  the  other  side,  in  that  house  lived 
an  old  woman  with  her  grandson. 

When  Hodadeio11  asked  for  shelter,  the  old  woman  said, 
"We  have  nothing  to  eat." 

"I  don't  want  food,"  said  the  boy. 

"You  may  stay,"  said  the  grandmother. 

The  next  morning,  Hodadeio11  said  to  the  old  woman's 
grandson,  "Let  us  go  hunting." 

When  they  had  gone  quite  a  distance,  they  came  to  a 
hollow  tree  frequented  by  a  bear. 

Hodadeio11  struck  the  tree,  and  said,  "Come  out!" 

The  bear  came  out ;  Hodadeio11  shot  it,  and  the  two  boys 
carried  the  carcass  home. 

When  they  dropped  it  on  the  ground  in  front  of  the 
door  it  made  a  great  noise  and  the  grandmother  called 
out,  "What  is  that?" 

When  she  saw  the  bear  she  was  glad.  They  dressed  the 
bear  and  cooked  some  of  the  meat.  As  they  sat  down  to 
eat,  a  young  girl  came  in  and  the  old  woman  asked  her 
to  eat.  When  they  were  through  eating  the  girl  carried  a 
piece  of  meat  home  to  her  mother,  who  said,  "Go  back, 
carry  them  bread  and  get  some  of  their  meat  in  exchange. ' ' 

The  girl  did  as  told,  and  she  got  two  large  pieces  of 
meat  for  her  bread. 

Hodadeio11  said,  "Others  will  come  to  exchange  bread 
for  meat.    Let  them  have  it;  bread  is  what  we  want." 

Towards  night  a  man  came,  kicked  the  door,  threw  it 
open,  and  said,  "I  notify  you  to  come  to  the  long  house, 
there  is  a  man  there  who  sheds  wampum  instead  of  tears. 
If  you  pick  up  wampum  after  it  has  fallen,  it  is  yours.  If 
you  get  more  than  others  do,  it  is  your  good  luck." 

The  next  day  Hodadeio11,  with  the  old  woman  and  her 
grandson  went  to  the  long  house  where  Otgoedaqsais  was 
tied  and  tormented  with  fire-brands.  Before  going  in, 
each  boy  got  a  bundle  of  dry  reeds  to  light  pipes  with. 
There  were  many  people  in  the  house.  When  the  man 
who  was  being  tortured  saw  his  brother  he  smiled. 

One  of  the  women  saw  this,  and  said,  "The  bound  man 


340  SENECA   MYTHS 

smiled  when  the  boys  came  in;  it  must  be  thafone  of  them 
is  Hodadeio11.  " 

One  of  the  men  said,  ''It  is  well  these  boys  have  come, 
they  can  bring  fire  for  our  pipes." 

In  the  long  house  were  two  women  who  held  fire-brands. 
First  one  of  the  women  burned  the  young  man  on  one  side 
of  his  body,  then  the  other  burned  him  on  the  other  side. 
Each  time  the  brand  touched  his  flesh  he  cried  out  and 
wampum  fell  in  showers.  The  people  gathered  all  they 
could,  they  struggled  and  fought  for  it,  and  when  every  one 
had  enough  they  were  sent  away. 

The  chief  said,  "To-morrow  you  will  come  again.' ' 

The  boys  went  home  together  and  Hodadeio11  said,  ' '  The 
man  they  torture  is  my  brother,  and  to-morrow  I  am 
going  to  destroy  those  people. " 

The  next  day  when  Hodadeio11  went  to  the  long  house, 
he  heard  people  say  that  the  brands  wouldn't  burn;  they 
were  not  dry  enough. 

Then  the  chief  said,  "We  will  rest.  After  a  while  the 
brands  will  get  dry  and  burn.    Let  us  lie  down." 

Hodadeio11  brought  deep  sleep  on  all.  He  released  his 
brother,  took  him  out  to  his  new  brother — the  old  widow's 
grandson — and  shut  the  door  securely.  Then  he  ran  around 
the  house,  and  said,  "I  want  this  house  to  be  stone  and 
I  want  it  to  be  red  hot." 

Instantly  the  long  house  became  stone  and  red  hot.  The 
man-eaters  woke  up  and  ran  around  inside. 

One  said,  "I  will  go  out  through  the  smoke-hole." 

Another  said,  "I  will  go  through  the  ground." 

But  not  one  escaped.  On  one  side  of  the  village  Hodad- 
eio11 found  piles  of  bones.  He  collected  them  under  a 
hickory  tree,  pushed  the  tree  and  cried  out,  "Rise  or  the 
tree  will  fall  on  you!"  A  crowd  of  men  sprang  up  and 
among  them  were  many  of  Hodadeio11 's  relatives. 

Hodadeio11  took  his  brother  to  the  old  widow's  house. 

She  was  glad,  and  said,  "  He  is  my  grandson,  I  came  for 
him  years  ago,  I  was  captured  and  had  to  live  here  with 
the  man-eaters." 

"My  brother  must  stay  here  and  rest,"  said  Hodadeio11. 
"I  am  going  away  for  a  while,  I  have  work  to  do." 

He  started  and  as  he  hurried  along  he  heard  the  noise, 


HODADEIO  AND  HIS  SISTER        341 

"Dum!  dum!  dum!"  of  Long  Eyebrows,  preparing  to- 
bacco, pounding  it  with  a  mallet.  The  boy  went  to  the 
house  and  found  the  old  man  sitting  inside  pounding  and 
singing,  and  his  song  said,  "He  makes  tobacco,  and  I  am 
he."  When  the  rolls  were  ready  he  tied  them  up  with 
bark  strings. 

Two  or  three  times  Hodadeio11  called,  "Hello,  Uncle, 
I've  come,"  but  the  old  man  gave  no  answer. 

The  boy  took  a  mallet  that  was  lying  near  and  struck 
the  old  man  on  the  head,  saying,  "I've  come  to  visit  you." 

Long  Eyebrows  paid  no  attention.  The  boy  hit  him 
again,  and  said,  ' '  Uncle,  I  've  come  to  visit  you. ' ' 

"I  think  mice  have  thrown  the  stone  bowl  down,"  said 
Long  Eyebrows,  but  he  kept  at  work.  The  boy  struck  him 
again.  The  old  man  raised  his  upper  eyelids,  which  hung 
down  over  his  face,  tied  them  back  with  bark  strings,  then 
taking  a  shell  he  scraped  his  eyes  out  clean,  and  said,  "I 
think  some  one  has  come  in!" 

He  looked,  saw  Hodadeio11,  and  asked,  "What  are  you 
here  for?" 

"I  came  for  tobacco." 

"You  will  get  no  tobacco,"  said  the  old  man,  "I  will 
kill  you." 

He  started  up,  chased  Hodadeio11  out  of  doors  and 
around  the  house.  The  boy  was  far  ahead,  but  at  last 
he  turned  and  letting  two  arrows  fly  killed  Long  Eye- 
brows. Then  he  took  tobacco  and  threw  it  toward  the 
West,  saying  as  he  threw  it,  "Go  to  my  sister,  Yeyenth- 
wfts." 

Yeyenthwus,  far  off  in  the  West,  picked  up  the  rolls 
and  said,  "Thank  you,  Brother,  thank  you." 

When  he  had  sent  all  the  tobacco  home,  he  went  back 
to  where  he  had  left  his  brother  and  the  men  he  had 
brought  to  life. 

He  told  the  men  to  go  to  their  homes.  Those  who 
remembered  where  their  homes  were  went,  those  who 
didn't  know  where  to  go  said  to  him,  "We  will  go  home 
with  you." 

The  old  woman's  grandson  was  one  of  the  man-eaters. 
But  he  promised  never  to  eat  human  flesh  again  and 
Hodadeio11  left  him  in  the  house  at  the  edge  of  the  village. 


342  SENECA    MYTHS 

The  next  morning  Hodadeioq  and  his  party  started. 
After  a  while  he  stopped,  and  said,  "There  are  two  of 
my  uncles  with  us,  they  will  show  the  way,  I  must  go  on 
alone.  * ' 

He  wanted  to  reach  home  first.  When  he  met  his  sister 
he  told  her  how  he  had  brought  many  of  their  relatives 
to  life  and  saved  his  brother. 

"And  now,"  said  he,  "We  must  get  ready  for  them." 

He  marked  out  spaces  with  his  feet,  each  space  as  large 
as  the  house  he  wanted,  then  he  wished  for  the  house, 
and  it  was  there  with  everything  in  it.  When  the  houses 
were  ready,  he  went  out  to  meet  the  people  who  were 
coming.  He  gave  each  one  a  house,  but  there  were  not 
men  enough  for  the  houses  he  had  made. 

Then  he  said,  "They  are  not  all  here  yet." 

After  he  had  been  home  for  a  long  time,  he  began  to 
hear  the  sound,  ' '  Dum !  dum !  dum ! ' '  very  often.  Then  he 
remembered  the  old  woman's  grandson,  and  he  said  to 
himself,  "I  will  go  and  see  if  he  is  keeping  his  promise." 

As  Hodadeio11  went  on  he  heard  the  noise,  ' '  Dum !  dum ! 
dum ! ' '  and  went  toward  it  till  he  came  to  the  center  of  the 
man-eater's  village.  He  went  into  a  house;  no  one  there. 
He  went  into  another;  no  one  there.  He  entered  every 
house;  all  were  empty.  At  last  he  saw  smoke  at  the 
opposite  side  of  the  village,  and  going  to  the  house  the 
smoke  came  from  he  found  an  old  man. 

The  old  man  rose  up,  threw  off  his  blanket,  and  said, 
"You  have  caused  me  misery  and  pain,  now  kill  me." 

"I  have  not  caused  you  misery  and  pain,"  said  Hodad- 
eio11, "It  may  be  that  the  old  woman's  grandson  is  making 
you  all  this  trouble." 

"It  is  time  for  him  to  come,"  said  the  old  man,  "I  and 
my  granddaughter  are  the  only  persons  left  in  the  village. ' ' 

A  young  woman  came  from  her  hiding  place,  and  Hodad- 
eio11 said,  "If  the  old  woman's  grandson  is  eating  human 
flesh,  he  must  kill  me  before  he  eats  any  more.  You  must 
help  me  all  you  can.  If  we  fight,  we  will  begin  here  and 
go  westward.  At  the  end  of  ten  days  we  will  come  back, 
fighting  as  we  come;  there  will  be  nothing  left  of  us  but 
our  heads." 

"You  must  have  a  kettle  of  boiling  oil  ready  to  throw 


HODADEIO  AND  HIS  SISTER       343 

on  my  skull.  But  do  not  mistake  me  for  him,  if  you  do, 
I  shall  die  and  so  will  you  and  your  grandfather. ' ' 

He  heard  the  old  man  cry  out  and  going  to  him  found 
that  the  old  woman's  grandson  was  there  cutting  flesh 
from  his  legs  and  thighs,  and  saying,  "I  don't  know  where 
to  take  the  next  piece  from." 

"My  friend,"  said  Hodadeio11,  "you  promised  not  to 
eat  human  flesh." 

"Let  us  fight,"  said  the  other. 

They  began  to  fight,  going  westward  as  they  struggled, 
and  soon  they  disappeared  in  the  woods. 

At  times  for  a  number  of  days  the  young  woman  heard 
their  cries  and  groans.  She  heated  the  fat,  and  had  it 
ready.  One  day  they  came  back  into  the  opening,  skeletons 
terrible  to  look  at.  They  rushed  at  each  other  and  fell 
back  exhausted.  When  they  closed  again,  the  skeletons 
were  gone,  only  naked  skulls  were  left. 

One  of  the  skulls  rolled  up  to  the  young  woman,  and 
said,  "Now  is  the  time  to  do  as  I  told  you." 

The  other  skull  rolled  up  that  minute  and  said  the  same 
thing.  The  girl  kept  her  eyes  on  the  second  skull  and 
poured  the  fat  on  to  it. 

"Now  you  have  killed  me,"  said  the  other  skull.  She 
paid  no  heed  to  the  words,  but,  picking  up  the  skull  she  had 
poured  the  fat  on,  she  carried  it  to  the  house  and  soon 
Hodadeio11  was  in  full  flesh  and  health. 

The  old  man  said  to  him,  "You  have  saved  our  lives. 
Now  you  must  have  my  granddaughter  for  a  wife." 

"Very  well,"  said  Hodadeio11,  "but  I'll  cure  you  first." 

He  spat  on  the  palms  of  his  hands  and  rubbed  the  old 
man  where  his  flesh  had  been  cut  off  and  right  away  he 
was  well. 

"Now,"  said  Hodadeio11,  "I  want  you  to  help  me." 

They  went  with  him  to  the  edge  of  the  woods  where  a 
great  many  bones  were  lying  on  the  ground.  They  gath- 
ered them  up,  put  them  near  a  hickory  tree,  then  Hodad- 
eio11 pushed  the  tree  and  called  out,  "Rise  up,  or  the  tree 
will  fall  on  you!" 

The  bones  rose  up  that  minute  as  living  men  and  went 
back  to  their  own  places.  Hodadeio11  and  the  old  man  and 
his  granddaughter  started  for  Yeyenthwus'  home. 


344  SENECA    MYTHS 

After  they  had  gone  some  distance  Hodadeio11  said, 
"I  must  go  for  chestnuts  for  my  brother,  I  will  overtake 
you." 

He  traveled  till  he  came  to  where  he  could  see  the  woman 
walking  back  and  forth  on  a  platform.  He  got  slippery 
elm  bark,  and  turned  it  into  wampum. 

Then  he  called  a  mole,  and  said,  "Take  me  to  that 
woman. ' ' 

He  made  himself  small,  went  into  the  mole's  body  and 
the  mole  went  under  ground  till  it  came  to  the  platform. 

Then  Hodadeio11  came  out  of  the  mole  and  said  to  the 
woman,  "I  will  give  you  this  wampum,  if  you  will  not 
tell  the  women  that  I  am  here." 

Then  he  called  all  the  moles  and  sent  them  into  the 
house  to  find  the  hearts  of  the  four  women.  They  found 
them  under  a  couch;  Hodadeio11  seized  them  and  started 
off.  That  minute  the  woman  on  the  platform  sang  out, 
* '  Hodadeio11  has  come ! ' ' 

The  mother  screamed,  "Hurry  after  him,  my  children, 
kill  him  for  he  is  the  youngest  of  his  family.' ' 

The  eldest  sister  ran  ahead.  As  she  was  coming  near, 
Hodadeio11  crushed  one  of  the  hearts,  and  she  fell  to  the 
ground,  dead.  The  second  sister  came  up ;  he  crushed  the 
second  heart  and  she  died.  The  youngest  sister  was  served 
in  the  same  way.  The  mother  came ;  he  crushed  the  fourth 
heart  and  she  died.  He  ground  up  the  four  hearts  and 
burned  them  together  with  the  four  bodies. 

The  woman  on  guard  was  Hodadeio11 's  sister.  She  was 
boneless,  nothing  but  a  skin  pouch.  Close  by  was  a  pile 
of  bones. 

The  young  man  took  the  skin,  put  it  on  the  pile,  and 
pushing  over  a  hickory  tree  that  stood  there,  called  out, 
"Rise  up  or  the  tree  will  fall  on  you." 

That  moment  many  people  sprang  up.  With  them  was 
Hodadeio11  's  sister,  now  in  full  flesh.  He  went  to  the 
chestnut  tree  and  taking  one  nut  he  threw  it  to  his  sister 
in  the  West  and  told  the  other  nuts  to  follow  it. 

All  the  nuts  followed  the  first  one  and  as  they  went 
through  the  end  of  the  house,  Yeyenthwus  collected  and 
stored  them  away.  Then  Hodadeio11  wished  for  the  chest- 
nut trees  to  be  around  his  sister's  house. 


HODADEIO  AND  HIS  SISTER        345 

Now  the  young  man  went  home  with  the  sister  and 
friends  he  had  found  and  when  they  had  taken  their  places 
there  was  one  person  still  lacking. 

The  people  were  living  in  a  chestnut  grove.  Two  men 
came  to  get  chestnuts  for  a  person  near  death. 

4  *  Very  well,"  said  Hodadeio11,  "I  will  give  you  a  chest- 
nut, but  you  must  not  lose  it.  Give  me  your  arrow,  I 
will  hide  the  nut.  A  man  will  meet  you.  He  will  say, 
'Stop,  my  nephews,'  and  then  come  towards  you,  but  that 
minute  say  to  him,  'Let  us  see  who  can  shoot  farthest.' 
And  before  he  reaches  you  do  you  shoot  away  your  arrow 
and  save  the  chestnut.  If  you  lose  this  nut,  I  will  not 
give  you  another." 

They  went  their  way  and  soon  met  a  man,  who  said, 
"0,  Nephews,  I  have  waited  a  long  time  for  you  to 
come." 

"Let  us  see  who  can  shoot  farthest,"  said  the  man  who 
had  the  chestnut. 

The  stranger  sprang  forward  to  snatch  the  arrow,  and 
barely  missed  it.  He  was  angry,  and  said,  "You  are  not 
my  nephews.    Go  your  way. ' ' 

They  hurried  along,  found  their  arrow  and  went  home. 

The  next  day  Hodadeio11  said,  "I  still  have  work  to  do. 
I  must  go  West  this  time." 

He  hadn't  gone  far  when  he  came  to  an  opening  and 
saw  a  lake  before  him,  but  no  land  beyond.  Between 
him  and  the  lake  was  a  house  from  which  smoke  was 
rising.  He  walked  up  to  the  house,  pushed  open  the 
door,  went  in  and  found  an  old  man  mending  moccasins. 

The  old  man  looked  up  and  said,  "Well,  my  Nephew,  I 
have  been  waiting  for  you  a  long  time.  I  am  from  your 
village.  I  am  ready  to  go  home.  But  first  we  will  eat 
together. ' ' 

He  had  a  kettle  of  corn  and  beans  with  plenty  of  bear 
meat  in  it.  After  they  had  eaten,  he  said,  "Now  we  will 
go  to  my  island  and  look  for  game." 

They  went  to  a  canoe  and  stepped  in.  Then  the  old  man 
called  ducks  to  row  the  canoe.  They  came,  small  white 
birds  with  black  heads,  and  paddled  the  canoe  to  the 
island,  the  old  man  singing  all  the  time. 

When  they  landed,  the  old  man  said,  "I  will  go  to 


346  SENECA    MYTHS 

the  upper  end  of  the  island ;  you  go  to  the  lower.  We  will 
meet  in  the  middle  and  see  how  much  game  each  of  us 
has." 

Hodadeio11  started  but  soon  he  heard  the  old  man 's  song, 
and,  turning  around,  saw  him  rowing  toward  mainland. 
He  shouted  for  him  to  come  back,  but  got  no  answer. 

The  old  man  called  to  the  creatures  in  the  lake.  "If 
the  man  on  the  island  tries  to  swim  to  me  eat  him.', 

And  voices  out  of  the  water  answered,  "We  will." 

While  standing  and  looking  across  the  lake  the  young 
man  heard  a  voice  say,  "Nephew,  come  to  me." 

He  went  toward  the  voice,  but  saw  only  a  pile  of  bones 
covered  with  moss. 

The  bones  asked,  "Nephew,  do  you  think  that  you  are 
going  to  die?" 

"I  do,"  answered  the  young  man. 

"A  man-eater  is  coming  to  kill  you,"  said  the  bones,  "but 
do  me  a  service  and  I  will  tell  you  how  to  save  yourself. 
Go  to  that  hollow  tree  over  there  and  bring  my  pouch  here. 
Let  me  smoke  then  I  will  tell  you  what  to  do." 

Hodadeio11  brought  the  pouch,  cut  and  put  tobacco  into 
the  pipe  and  lighted  it.  Smoke  went  out  through  all  the 
fissures  of  the  old  man's  skull  and  his  eyes  and  his  nose 
and  his  ears. 

When  he  had  finished  smoking,  he  said,  "Put  my  pouch 
away. ' ' 

The  young  man  put  the  pouch  in  the  tree,  then  went 
back  to  the  bones,  which  said,  "You  must  cut  some  red 
willows.  Of  the  larger  ones  make  mannikins,  of  the 
smaller  ones  make  bows  and  arrows.  Run  to  three  different 
places  on  the  island  and  at  each  place  put  a  mannikin 
in  the  crotch  of  a  tree.  Give  it  a  bow  and  arrow  and  say 
to  it,  'Shoot  the  dog  when  it  comes.'  When  you  have 
placed  the  last  one,  come  to  me  and  from  here  go  to  the 
end  of  the  island,  step  off  the  land  and  walk  in  water  till 
you  come  to  an  overhanging  bank  opposite  the  landing 
place.     There  the  dogs  cannot  find  you." 

Hodadeio11  did  as  his  uncle  told  him  to  do.  That  eve- 
ning the  man-eater,  with  four  dogs,  came  in  a  canoe  and 
began  to  hunt  for  Hodadeio11.  Starting  from  the  pile  of 
bones  the   dogs  went  to  the  tree  where  the   pouch   was 


HODADEIO  AND   HIS  SISTER       347 

and  back,  then  they  went  on  till  they  came  to  the  first 
mannikin. 

The  man-eater  followed  the  dogs,  singing  as  he  ran, 
1 '  There  are  no  dogs  like  mine,  there  are  no  dogs  like  mine. ' ' 

Suddenly  the  man-eater  saw  a  man  in  the  crotch  of  a 
tree  pointing  an  arrow  at  one  of  his  dogs.  The  man  let 
the  arrow  fly  and  a  dog  dropped  dead.  The  man-eater 
shot  the  man ;  when  the  dogs  sprang  forward  to  catch  him, 
the  man-eater  called  out,  " Don't  eat  the  body!  Don't  eat 
the  body!"  but  when  he  came  up  he  saw  the  dogs  biting 
bits  of  red  willow.  He  called  the  dogs  off  and  followed 
the  tracks  farther.  They  came  to  the  second  mannikin 
and  a  second  dog  was  killed.  The  man-eater  was  very 
angry.  The  dogs  ran  on  and  soon  he  heard  them  growling 
fiercely;  they  had  stopped  at  a  pile  of  bones. 

The  man-eater  took  his  club,  pounded  the  bones,  and 
said,  "I  ate  your  flesh  long  ago,  and  still  you  try  to 
deceive  me." 

The  dogs  started  on  the  trail  again  and  ran  for  a  long 
time.  At  last  they  came  to  the  third  mannikin.  The 
mannikin  killed  one  of  the  dogs.  The  man-eater  then 
killed  him,  but  when  he  touched  the  ground  he  was  only  a 
bit  of  willow. 

Daylight  began  to  come.  The  man-eater  said,  "I  will 
go  home  now,  but  when  it  is  dark  I  will  come  again  and 
then  I  will  be  sure  of  the  game."  He  brought  his  dead 
dogs  to  life,  got  into  his  canoe  and  left  the  island. 

When  all  was  quiet  and  daylight  had  come  Hodadeio11 
left  his  hiding  place  and  went  to  his  uncle,  who  said, 
"My  Nephew,  bring  my  pouch  and  let  me  have  a  smoke, 
then  I  will  tell  you  what  to  do." 

He  brought  the  pouch,  filled  and  lighted  the  pipe  and 
put  it  into  his  uncle's  mouth.  The  skull  smoked  with 
great  pleasure,  letting  the  smoke  out  through  every  seam, 
through  the  eyes,  the  nose,  the  ears. 

"  Thank  you,  my  Nephew.  Take  the  pouch  back  and 
we  will  talk." 

Hodadeio11  put  the  pouch  away. 

Then  his  uncle  said,  "Go  to  the  place  where  the  canoe 
always  comes  to  shore,  dig  a  hole  and  bury  yourself  in 
the  sand,  leaving  out  only  the  end  of  your  nose." 


348  SENECA    MYTHS 

While  the  young  man  was  covering  himself  he  heard 
Shagodyoweq,  the  man  who  had  brought  him  to  the  island 
coming  again,  singing  to  the  ducks.  Soon  the  canoe 
scraped  on  the  sand  and  a  voice  said,  "Now  I'll  find  the 
place  where  my  nephew  has  scattered  his  blood." 

As  soon  as  the  man  was  out  of  sight,  Hodadeio11  jumped 
up,  called  the  ducks,  pushed  the  canoe  into  the  water  and 
began  to  sing,  "Now  we  paddle,  my  ducks.  Now  we 
paddle." 

The  canoe  was  far  out  in  the  water  when  Shagodyoweq 
saw  it.  He  ran  to  the  shore  and  screamed,  "Let  me  in! 
Let  me  in!" 

Hodadeio11  paid  no  attention  to  him,  but  speaking  to 
all  the  creatures  that  lived  in  the  lake,  he  said,  "If  he 
tries  to  swim  after  me,  eat  him  up." 

Then  out  of  the  water  came  as  many  voices  as  there 
were  living  things  in  the  lake  and  they  all  said,  "It  will 
be  done.    It  will  be  done." 

Shagodyoweq  ran  back  and  forth  on  the  shore,  but  he 
could  not  get  away.  When  night  came  he  climbed  a  tree. 
At  dusk  the  man-eater  came,  with  his  dogs,  and  began  to 
look  around  for  Hodadeio11,  whom  he  thought  was  on  the 
island  yet.  At  last  the  dogs  come  to  the  tree  where 
Shagodyoweg  was. 

They  barked  furiously  and  when  the  man-eater  came  up 
Shagodyoweq  cried, ' '  Don  't  shoot  me,  I  am  your  servant. ' ' 

"You  can't  fool  me,"  said  the  man-eater,  and  he  let  an 
arrow  fly.  The  man  fell  to  the  ground.  The  man-eater 
threw  the  body  into  his  canoe  and  left  the  island. 

The  next  morning  Hodadeio11  said,  "I  will  go  to  the 
man-eater's  house." 

He  pushed  out  the  canoe  and  sang  for  the  ducks.  They 
came  and  swam  on  till  towards  dark,  then  Hodadeio11  saw 
a  house  near  the  water.  He  brought  the  canoe  to  shore, 
hid  it  under  the  water,  and  said  to  the  ducks,  "You  may 
go  your  way  till  I  come." 

A  woman  came  out  of  the  house  with  two  pieces  of  bark. 
She  put  one  piece  of  bark  by  the  edge  of  the  water.  Hod- 
adeio11 stepped  on  it,  then  she  put  the  second  piece  of  bark 
before  the  first.  He  stepped  on  the  second.  Then  she  put 
the  first   before   the   second.     He   stepped   on   the   first. 


HODADEIO   AND   HIS   SISTER       349 

In  this  way  he  reached  the  house  without  leaving  a  track 
on  the  ground. 

Hodadeio11  said  to  the  woman,  "I  have  come  for  you, 
I  am  your  brother." 

"I  will  go  with  you,"  answered  the  woman,  "but  you 
must  stay  here  till  midday  to-morrow."  And  she  hid  him 
under  her  couch. 

Soon  the  barking  of  dogs  was  heard  and  then  footsteps. 
The  first  dog  came  in  with  open  mouth.  The  woman 
threw  a  bone  at  him,  then  hit  him  on  the  head. 

The  man-eater  called  out,  ' '  Oh,  you  have  killed  one  of 
my  dogs!" 

"Why  do  they  run  at  me?"  asked  she,  "I  have  done 
nothing  to  them." 

He  called  them  off,  and  said,  "I  had  bad  luck  to-day, 
I  found  nothing  but  a  little  cub." 

He  cooked  his  game  with  pounded  corn,  and  when  he 
finished  eating  he  said,  "My  food  was  good  and  tender, 
now  I  will  take  a  smoke.  But  it  seems  to  me  you  have 
two  breaths." 

* '  That'  is  too  much  to  say, ' '  answered  the  woman,  ' '  You 
might  as  well  kill  me." 

The  next  morning  the  man-eater  said,  "I'll  not  go 
hunting  on  that  island  again.  I'll  go  on  the  other  side 
of  the  lake,"  and  he  went  away. 

When  he  had  been  gone  some  time,  the  woman  said  to  her 
brother,  "Now  you  can  come  out." 

He  came  from  under  the  couch;  the  two  went  to  the 
lake  and  raising  the  canoe  rowed  away  as  quickly  as  they 
could. 

When  in  the  middle  of  the  lake  they  heard  the  man- 
eater  shout,  "You  can't  get  away  from  me!" 

He  ran  to  his  house,  got  a  hook  and  line,  and  saying, 
"Catch  the  canoe!"  hurled  it  into  the  lake. 

Straightway  the  hook  was  in  the  canoe  and  the  man- 
eater  was  pulling  the  canoe  to  shore.  All  at  once  the 
woman  saw  that  the  trees  on  the  shore  were  coming  nearer, 
then  she  saw  the  hook  and  line  and  she  screamed  to 
Hodadeio11  to  break  the  hook.  He  broke  the  hook;  freed 
the  canoe  and  it  went  out  again  to  the  middle  of  the  lake. 

The  man-eater  screamed,   "You   can't   get   away  from 


350  SENECA    MYTHS 

me!"  and  he  ran  along  on  the  bottom  of  the  lake,  raging 
as  he  went  toward  them. 

Then  Hodadeio11  said,  "Let  there  be  ice  over  the  water 
so  thick  that  nothing  can  break  through,  and  let  our 
canoe  be  on  the  ice." 

When  the  man-eater  thought  he  was  under  the  canoe, 
he  sprang  up  with  all  his  might.  He  struck  the  ice  with 
such  force  that  it  cracked  everywhere.  The  ice  didn't 
break  but  the  man-eater  broke  his  head  and  died. 

Hodadeio11  caused  the  ice  to  melt  as  quickly  as  it  had 
formed,  and  with  his  sister  he  rowed  to  the  end  of  the 
lake,  then  traveled  on  land.  When  they  reached  home, 
they  went  in  at  the  western  door,  went  around  on  the 
south  side  to  the  east  and  Hodadeio11  led  his  sister  to  her 
place,  which  was   at  the  northwest   corner. 

All  the  family  were  at  home  now,  and  all  were  happy. 


A  LITTLE  BOY  AND  HIS  DOG,  BEAUTIFUL 

EAES 

[Told  by  Mrs.  Logan] 


A  MAN  and  his  wife  went  into  the  woods  to  hunt.  They 
built  a  house  of  hemlock  boughs,  and  lived  happily. 
After  a  while  a  boy  was  born  to  them. 

The  family  always  had  a  plenty  of  meat,  for  the  man 
was  a  good  hunter.  While  he  was  away  in  the  woods 
looking  for  game,  his  wife  was  busy  drying  meat ;  bringing 
bark  to  keep  the  fire;  and  taking  care  of  the  child.  An- 
other child  was  born  to  them,  a  girl. 

Everything  went  on  well  till  the  boy  was  old  enough  to 
do  chores  and  his  mother  began  to  send  him  for  water. 
The  spring  was  some  distance  from  the  cabin  and  the  child 
was  afraid  there.  Whenever  his  mother  told  him  to  go,  he 
complained  and  tried  to  beg  off.  But  when  she  seized  him 
by  the  hair,  dragged  him  to  the  door,  pushed  him  out  and 
threw  the  Dark  water  vessel  after  him,  he  knew  that  he 
must  pick  up  the  vessel  and  go.  As  soon  as  he  brought 
the  water,  his  mother  washed  her  face,  combed  her  hair 
carefully,  took  her  strap  and  hatchet  and,  telling  him  she 
was  going  for  bark  to  burn  and  he  must  stay  with  his 
sister,  she  went  off  somewhere. 

This  happened  every  day  for  a  long  time. 

The  woman  began  to  be  cruel  to  the  boy.  She  didn't 
give  him  enough  to  eat  and  neglected  him  in  every  way. 
She  seemed  to  hate  him. 

When  at  last  the  boy  told  his  father  that  he  didn't  have 
enough  to  eat,  the  man  noticed  that  his  wife  was  cross  and 
cruel  to  the  child  and  he  began  to  think  that  something  was 
wrong.  One  night  as  he  and  the  boy  were  together  on  one 
side  of  the  fire,  and  his  wife  and  little  girl  were  sleeping 
on  the  other  side,  he  questioned  the  child  about  what  was 

351 


352  SENECA    MYTHS 

done  in  the  house  while  he  was  off  hunting.  The  boy  told 
him  that  at  such  a  time  each  day  his  mother  sent  him  to  a 
spring  where  he  was  afraid  to  go ;  when  he  came  with  the 
water,  she  washed  and  combed  and  then  went  to  the  woods 
for  bark. 

The  man  decided  to  watch  his  wife.  The  next  morning 
he  started  off  to  hunt,  then  crept  back  till  he  came  to  a 
place  where  he  could  see  his  cabin.  By  and  by  he  saw  the 
skin  door  open  and  out  came  his  boy,  head  first,  the  water 
vessel  after  him. 

The  boy,  crying  bitterly,  picked  up  the  vessel  and  started 
off.  The  father  was  angry,  but  he  waited  to  see  what  would 
happen  next. 

The  boy  brought  the  water  and  soon  afterward  the  mother 
came  out  with  her  strap  and  hatchet.  She  walked  away 
and  her  husband  followed  cautiously. 

The  woman  went  down  a  hill  and  walked  on  till  she 
came  to  a  black  ash  tree  from  which  the  bark  could  easily 
be  stripped.  There  she  stopped  and  looked  up  into  the 
tree.  The  man  crept  as  near  as  was  possible  and  not  be 
seen  by  his  wife.  After  a  while  she  hit  the  tree  with  the 
back  of  her  hatchet ;  it  made  a  beautiful  sound.  She  waited 
a  minute,  then  struck  the  tree  a  second  time;  again  the 
same  musical  sound.  The  third  time  she  struck  the  man 
saw  a  bird  on  the  top  branches  of  the  tree.  When  the 
woman  struck  a  fourth  time,  the  bird  flew  down,  and  as  it 
touched  the  ground  it  became  a  handsome  man.  That 
minute  the  husband  drew  his  bow  and  shot,  instantly  the 
man  turned  to  a  bird,  flew  up  and  disappeared  in  thq 
air. 

The  woman,  seeing  her  husband,  said,  "Is  it  you?" 

"It  is,"  said  the  man,  "and  now  I  know  why  you 
abuse  our  boy." 

"I  abuse  him,  and  I  will  abuse  you,  too,"  said  the  woman, 
and  she  caught  up  a  club  and  struck  her  husband  till  he 
was  helpless. 

Then,  leaving  him  on  the  ground,  she  ran  home,  put  her 
children  outside  and  set  fire  to  the  cabin.  The  hemlock 
boughs  blazed  up  quickly  and  soon  the  cabin  was  in  ashes. 
Then  she  said  to  her  children,  "You  must  stay  here.  Every- 
thing will  be  all  right."     And  taking  up  a  handful  of 


LITTLE    BOY   AND    HIS    DOG        353 

ashes,  she  threw  the  ashes  into  the  air  and  said,  "Let  there 
be  a  snowstorm,  and  let  the  snow  be  as  high  as  these  trees. '  • 

When  snow  began  to  fall,  the  mother  said  to  the  little 
boy,  "Here  is  your  dog,  keep  him  with  you  and  take  care 
of  your  sister. "    Then  she  started  off. 

Snow  fell  fast  and  soon  the  boy  and  girl  were  covered 
up,  but  they  felt  as  warm  and  comfortable  as  if  in  a  house. 

After  a  time  the  father  dragged  himself  towards  home. 
When  near  he  saw  there  was  no  longer  a  cabin.  He 
searched  for  his  children  and  at  last  found  them;  then  he 
set  about  building  a  house  of  boughs. 

When  the  cabin  was  ready  he  said  to  the  boy,  * '  You  must 
stay  here  and  take  care  of  your  little  sister,  and  of  your 
dog,  Beautiful  Ears.  Always  give  him  a  plenty  to  eat, 
as  much  and  as  good  as  you  have  yourselves.  When  you 
go  out,  carry  your  sister  on  your  back,  never  put  her  down 
or  leave  her  for  a  minute.  When  the  dog  seems  uneasy, 
you  must  turn  around  and  go  home.  I  am  going  in  pur- 
suit of  your  mother, "  and  he  started. 

In  the  morning  when  the  boy  woke  up,  he  found  food 
cooked  and  ready  to  eat.  He  gave  Beautiful  Ears  his  share, 
then  he  and  his  sister  ate.  Afterward,  whenever  it  was 
time  to  eat,  food  was  ready  for  them. 

One  day  the  boy  got  lonely  and  he  said  to  his  sister  and 
Beautiful  Ears,  "We  will  go  out  and  amuse  ourselves.' ' 

The  boy  had  a  bow  and  arrows;  but  he  couldn't  shoot, 
for  he  carried  his  sister  on  his  back.  Beautiful  Ears  ran 
ahead,  then  ran  back,  and  was  full  of  life. 

The  three  looked  around  and  enjoyed  themselves  till  the 
dog  began  to  whine  and  tease,  wanted  his  master  to  go 
home. 

Then  the  boy  said  to  his  sister,  "Beautiful  Ears  wants 
to  go  back." 

A  few  days  later  they  went  out  again,  went  a  little 
farther  than  the  first  day.  When  they  got  home,  food  was 
ready  for  them.  The  boy  always  gave  Beautiful  Ears  his 
share  first. 

The  third  time  they  went  out,  the  dog  ran  after  a  wild 
turkey.  The  boy  followed  the  dog.  The  dog  chased  the 
turkey  into  a  clump  of  bushes.  The  boy  couldn't  get  into 
the  bushes  to  shoot  the  turkey,  for  his  sister  was  strapped 


354  SENECA    MYTHS 

to  his  back.  He  thought,  "I  will  unstrap  her  just  for  a 
minute,  then  we  will  have  a  nice  fat  turkey  to  eat." 

He  took  the  little  girl  from  his  back  and  put  her  down. 
Before  he  reached  the  bushes  she  screamed  and  turning 
around  the  brother  saw  a  bear  take  the  child  up  and 
run  off. 

Beautiful  Ears  and  the  boy  followed  the  bear.  For  three 
or  four  days  the  boy  heard  the  dog  bark  as  it  ran  on  ahead, 
but  at  last  it  was  out  of  hearing  and  he  lost  trace  of  it, 
couldn't  follow  it  any  longer. 

Now  the  boy  was  alone.  He  had  nothing  to  live  for  and 
wished  to  die. 

One  day,  as  he  walked  along  without  purpose,  he  came 
to  the  bank  of  a  lake;  he  climbed  a  high  rock,  leaped 
into  the  water  and  lost  consciousness.  On  coming  to  his 
senses  he  thought  he  was  in  a  beautiful  country  and  he 
felt  happy.    But  in  reality  a  great  fish  had  swallowed  him. 

After  a  few  days  the  fish  swam  into  a  small  stream.  On 
the  bank  of  that  stream  lived  seven  sisters.  They  had 
built  a  cabin  and  made  a  fish  dam.  One  morning  they 
went  to  the  dam  and  found  a  very  large  fish. 

They  pulled  it  up  on  to  the  bank  and  the  eldest  sister 
said,  "We  will  cut  it  open." 

"Wait,"  said  the  second  sister,  "till  we  boil  water  to 
cook  it  in.  We  will  cut  it  open  carefully;  such  a  large 
fish  must  have  a  lot  of  spawn." 

When  everything  was  ready,  the  sisters  opened  the  fish. 
But  in  place  of  spawn  they  found  a  beautiful  boy.  They 
forgot  the  fish.  They  washed  the  boy,  cared  for  him,  and 
rejoiced  that  such  a  gift  had  come  to  their  door. 

They  said,  "We  will  take  good  care  of  this  boy.  Maybe 
he  will  become  a  great  hunter  and  get  meat  for  us  when 
we  are  old." 

The  sisters  and  their  "son,"  as  they  called  the  boy,  lived 
happily  together.  He  soon  surprised  them  by  killing  large 
game  and  by  becoming  a  good  hunter,  but  when  they 
found  that  while  hunting  he  wandered  a  long  distance  from 
home  they  were  frightened  and  told  him  to  keep  near  the 
house  and  never  go  toward  the  West. 

One  day  the  boy  said  to  himself,  "I  wonder  what  there 
is  off  there  where  the  sun  goes  down.    I'll  go  and  see." 


LITTLE    BOY   AND    HIS    DOG        355 

He  hadn't  gone  far  when  he  came  to  a  clearing  and  saw 
a  cabin.  Everything  was  quiet.  He  crept  up  cautiously 
and  peeping  in  saw  an  old  man  sitting  with  his  head  bent 
down  to  his  breast. 

That  minute  the  old  man  called  out,  "Well,  Nephew,  you 
have  come." 

The  boy  knew  that  he  was  discovered  and  he  answered, 
"Yes,  I  have  come.  I  thought  I  would  see  what  you  were 
doing." 

"Well,  come  in  and  wait  till  I  get  my  head  up." 

The  old  man  picked  up  a  big  wooden  pin  that  lay  at  his 
side,  and  taking  a  mallet  drove  the  pin  down  his  spinal 
column.  Up  came  his  head,  and  he  said,  "I  have  a  rule 
that  when  a  nephew  comes  I  will  play  a  game  with  him 
and  bet — " 

"What  do  you  bet?" 

"I  bet  my  head  against  his." 

"Very  well,"  said  the  boy. 

The  old  man  swept  the  ashes  from  the  fireplace  and 
made  it  smooth.  Then  he  shook  a  bowl  that  had  stones  in 
it,  and  said,  "The  one  who  turns  the  stones  all  of  a  color 
will  be  the  winner.    You  must  throw  first." 

"No,"  said  the  boy,  "if  you  want  to  play  the  game  you 
must  play  first." 

At  last  the  old  man  consented.  He  shook  the  bowl ;  six 
stones  flew  out  of  the  smoke-hole,  turned  to  birds  and  flew 
off  out  of  hearing. 

After  a  while  the  boy  heard  the  birds  again  and  soon 
six  stones  fell  through  the  smoke-hole  into  the  bowl.  The 
old  man  bent  over  and  stirred  the  stones,  repeating,  "Let 
them  be  white!  Let  them  be  white!"  but  he  couldn't  get 
them  all  of  one  color. 

The  boy  shook  the  bowl  and,  as  before,  six  stones  went 
out  of  the  smoke-hole,  turned  to  birds  and  flew  off.  The 
old  man  began  to  shake  the  dish  and  say,  "I  wish  this, 
I  wish  that."  When  the  stones  came  back  to  the  bowl  the 
boy  stirred  them  and  they  all  turned  of  one  color. 

When  the  old  man  saw  that  he  had  lost  the  game  he 
wanted  to  play  again. 

"Oh,  no,"  said  the  boy,  "that  isn't  your  rule." 

"Let  me  smoke  once  more," 


356  SENECA   MYTHS 

The  boy  cut  off  the  old  man's  head,  set  fire  to  the  cabin 
and  went  home. 

After  a  few  days  the  boy  thought  he  would  go  again 
toward  the  West.  He  passed  the  old  man's  place,  came  to 
another  opening  and  saw  another  cabin.  Around  the  cabin 
the  ground  was  as  smooth  as  a  playground.  The  boy  walked 
up  quietly  and  peeping  into  the  cabin  saw  an  old  man 
sitting  there. 

That  minute  the  old  man  called  out,  "Is  that  you, 
Nephew  ?    Come  in.    I  have  been  waiting  for  you. ' ' 

The  boy  went  in. 

"I  have  a  way  of  passing  time,"  said  the  old  man.  "I 
play  a  game. ' ' 

'  ■  What  is  your  game  ? ' ' 

"Ball." 

"I  like  that,"  said  the  boy. 

"I  bet  my  head  against  my  nephew's  head." 

"Very  well,"  said  the  boy. 

They  went  to  the  middle  of  the  opening,  at  one  end  of 
which  there  were  two  stakes.  They  threw  the  balls;  the 
uncle  was  the  best  thrower,  but  the  nephew  was  the  best 
runner.  When  he  was  far  ahead,  the  old  man  threw  a 
horn  after  him  and  the  horn  stuck  in  the  sole  of  his  foot. 
He  had  to  sit  down  and  pull  it  out.  While  he  was  sitting 
there  the  old  man  passed  him. 

The  boy  spat  on  his  hand,  rubbed  the  spittle  into  his 
foot  and  it  was  healed.  He  threw  the  horn.  It  hit  the 
old  man's  foot  and  he  had  to  sit  down  and  pull  it  out. 
The  ball  rolled  on  and  went  between  the  stakes.  At  the 
next  throw  the  result  was  the  same.  The  old  man  lost 
the  game. 

He  wanted  to  play  again,  but  the  boy  said,  ' '  No,  it  isn  't 
the  rule." 

He  cut  off  the  old  man's  head,  burned  the  cabin  and 
went  home. 

A  third  time  the  boy  went  toward  the  West,  and  farther 
than  before.  He  passed  the  first  and  second  clearing  and 
coming  to  a  third  one  saw  a  great  pond  covered  with  thick 
ice,  and  near  the  pond  a  cabin.  He  crept  up  to  the  cabin 
and  peeping  in  saw  an  old  man.  The  old  man  called  out, 
"Well,  Nephew,  I  am  glad  to  see  you.    Come  in." 


LITTLE    BOY   AND    HIS    DOG        357 

The  boy  went  in  and  said,  "I  thought  I  would  look  in 
and  see  you.    Now  I  will  go." 

1  'Oh,  no;  I  have  a  rule.  When  a  nephew  comes  to  see 
me,  I  play  a  game  with  him.  We  run  a  race  on  the  ice 
and  the  one  who  gets  to  the  goal  last  loses  his  head.  No 
matter  how  you  get  there,  only  get  there  first. " 

When  the  boy  was  ready  to  start  he  took  an  oak  ball 
from  a  nearby  tree  and  said,  "Let  a  high  wind  come!" 
He  got  into  the  oak  ball,  a  high  wind  rose,  and  in  a 
flash  he  was  over  the  ice.  The  old  man  was  scarcely  half 
way. 

The  boy  took  a  white  flint  stone  out  of  his  pouch,  threw 
it  toward  the  middle  of  the  pond  and  said,  "Let  this  stone 
melt  the  ice  and  boil  the  water." 

In  an  instant  the  old  man  was  sinking  in  boiling  water. 
He  cried  for  mercy,  but  the  boy  didn't  listen. 

The  water  disappeared;  dry  land  was  left  where  the 
pond  had  been.  The  old  man,  now  a  great  stone,  was  in 
the  middle  of  the  space  where  the  pond  had  been.  The 
boy  burned  the  cabin  and  went  home. 

One  day  a  runner  came  to  the  home  of  the  seven  sisters 
and  said,  "The  chief  has  sent  me  to  notify  you  of  the 
marriage  of  a  certain  girl.  He  wants  everyone  to  come  to 
the  gathering." 

The  sisters  knew  that  the  boy  had  magic  power  and  they 
were  careful  of  him.  When  he  said,  "I  want  to  go  to  the 
gathering,"  they  said  that  bad  people  would  be  there  and 
all  sorts  of  games  would  be  played. 

He  said,  "You  were  afraid  to  have  me  go  toward  the 
West.  I  have  been  there  and  I  have  destroyed  the  dice 
man,  the  ball  man,  and  the  ice-pond  man.  Now  I  am  going 
to  this  gathering.  My  mother,  father,  sister,  and  my  dog, 
Beautiful  Ears,  are  there." 

At  last  the  sisters  told  him  he  could  go  and  told  him 
where  to  find  a  grandmother  who  would  tell  him  what 
to  do. 

The  boy  started  and  after  going  some  distance  came  to 
a  wide  trail  and  began  to  meet  many  people.  When  night 
came  they  all  camped  together.  The  next  day  they 
went  on. 

The  sisters  had  said  to  the  boy,  "There  will  be  one 


358  SENECA    MYTHS 

woman  in  the  crowd,  who  will  seem  to  have  power  over  all 
the  others.    Don't  notice  her." 

He  soon  saw  her,  but  remembering  their  words,  looked 
at  her  and  went  on. 

At  last  he  came  to  the  place  where  his  grandmother  lived. 
He  said,  " Grandmother,  I  have  come." 

"Poor  Grandson,"  said  she,  "I  have  little  to  give  you. 
I  am  alone  and  poor." 

"Don't  mind  that,"  said  the  boy;  "we  will  soon  have  a 
plenty  to  eat." 

He  brought  in  game  till  the  old  woman  cried,  she  was 
so  glad.  And  she  hurried  around,  like  a  girl,  to  prepare 
the  food. 

She  said,  *  *  There  is  a  great  gathering  at  the  long  house ; 
the  chief's  daughter  is  to  marry  a  second  time,  but  first 
she  will  destroy  her  husband,  her  daughter,  and  a  dog 
they  call  Beautiful  Ears.  She  had  a  son,  but  no  one  knows 
where  he  is.  Her  husband  is  tied  up  at  one  end  of  the 
long  house  and  every  person  who  goes  in  must  strike  him 
with  a  burning  brand.     His  tears  are  wampum  beads. 

1  *  Her  daughter  is  hanging  over  the  fire  and  slowly  roast- 
ing. The  dog  is  at  one  end  of  the  fire,  and  every  person 
who  passes  him  gives  him  a  kick.  His  hair  is  singed  off 
and  he  is  dying." 

The  boy  was  very  angry.  When  night  came  he  said  to 
his  grandmother,  "lam  going  to  the  gathering.  The  seven 
sisters  said  that  you  would  tell  me  what  to  do.  The  man 
they  are  torturing  is  my  father ;  the  little  girl  is  my  sister. ' ' 

"I  know  everything,"  said  the  old  woman,  "and  I  will 
help  you.  I  have  a  pair  of  moccasins  that  you  must  put  on 
when  you  get  to  the  long  house.  Stand  by  the  fire  and 
when  your  mother  calls  out,  '  Burn  him ! '  stick  one  foot  in 
the  fire.  The  moccasins  are  made  of  a  woman's  flesh  and 
I  have  power  over  them." 

When  the  boy  came  to  where  the  people  were,  he  made 
himself  very  small,  played  around  with  the  children,  and 
went  into  the  long  house  with  them.  His  mother  was  sit- 
ting on  a  high  seat  in  the  middle  of  the  room  where  she 
could  be  seen  by  everyone. 

As  she  gave  the  order,  "Burn  him!"  the  boy  stuck  his 
foot  into  the  fire,    That  instant  the  woman  screamed  with 


LITTLE    BOY   AND    HIS    DOG        359 

pain.  She  felt  that  a  firebrand  was  burning  her  flesh.  The 
boy  ran  out,  but  when  it  was  about  time  for  the  woman 
to  give  the  order  again  he  was  near  the  fire,  and  as  she 
was  beginning  to  say,  ' '  Burn  him ! "  he  put  his  foot  in  the 
fire.  That  instant  she  screamed  with  pain.  He  tormented 
her  in  this  way  till  she  died  from  fright  and  pain. 

The  boy  led  his  father  and  sister  out  of  the  house  and 
the  dog  followed.  Then  he  said,  "Let  this  house  become 
red  hot  flint!" 

Eight  away  the  long  house  was  in  flames.  Some  of  the 
people  in  the  house  had  magic  power;  their  heads  burst 
and  their  spirits  flew  through  the  smoke-hole  and  off  in 
the  air  in  the  form  of  owls  and  other  birds. 

The  boy  spat  on  his  hands,  rubbed  his  father,  sister  and 
dog  and  they  were  as  well  as  ever.  Then  he  said,  "Now 
we  will  go  home." 

He  thanked  his  grandmother  for  her  help,  and  they 
started  for  the  sister's  cabin.  "When  they  came  near,  the 
seven  sisters  ran  to  meet  them.  And  they  all  lived  happily 
together  ever  after. 


QUAIL  KILLS  COLD  WEATHER  AND  THE 
THUNDER   FAMILY 


Characters 


Popkpeknos   Quail 

Geno^kwa Stone  Coat  (Ice  and  Cold  Weather) 


A  MAN  and  his  wife  lived  in  an  ugly-looking  cabin 
in  the  forest.  They  had  one  child,  a  little  boy. 
When  the  boy  was  four  or  five  years  old,  another  child 
was  born,  a  boy  no  longer  than  a  hand.  The  mother 
died  and  the  man  burned  the  body.  Then,  wrapping  the 
baby  up  in  a  blanket,  he  put  it  in  a  hollow  tree,  for  he 
thought  it  was  dead. 

Each  day  the  man  went  to  hunt  and  left  the  elder  boy 
to  play  around  the  cabin.  After  a  time  the  boy  heard 
something  crying  in  a  hollow  tree  and  going  to  the  tree 
he  found  a  baby.  The  child  was  lonely  and  almost  starved. 
The  boy  fed  it  with  soup  he  made  of  deer  intestines. 

The  child  drank  the  soup  with  great  relish,  drank  again 
and  again  and  soon  became  strong.  The  boy  gave  his  little 
brother  plenty  to  eat  and  at  last  he  came  out  of  the  tree. 

The  two  boys  played  together.  The  elder  boy  made  the 
little  one  a  coat  of  fawn-skin  and  put  it  on  him.  Then, 
as  he  ran  around,  he  looked  exactly  like  a  chipmunk. 

One  day  the  father  noticed  a  decrease  of  provisions  and 
asked  the  boy  what  he  had  done  with  the  deer  intestines. 

The  boy  said,  "I  eat  a  good  many." 

The  father  looked  around  the  fire  and  seeing  very  small 
tracks,  said,  "Here  are  the  tracks  of  a  little  child." 

360 


QUAIL  KILLS  COLD  WEATHER     361 

Then  the  boy  told  how  he  had  found  his  brother,  had 
fed  him  and  made  a  coat  for  him,  and  how  they  played 
together. 

" Bring  him  in,"  said  the  father. 

"He  won't  come;  he  is  afraid." 

"We  will  catch  him.  Tell  him  to  come  with  you  and 
hunt  for  mice." 

The  man  caught  a  great  many  mice,  put  them  in  his 
bosom  and  his  clothes  and,  going  beyond  the  hollow  tree, 
turned  himself  into  an  old  stump. 

The  boy  went  to  the  hollow  tree,  and  called,  "Come  out, 
Brother,  we  will  play  catching  mice." 

The  little  fellow  came  out  of  the  tree  and  he  and  his 
brother  ran  to  the  stump,  ran  around  it  and  caught  a 
number  of  mice.  The  child  laughed  and  shouted  with  joy. 
Suddenly  the  stump  became  a  man.  The  man  caught  the 
little  boy  and  ran  home.  The  child  screamed  and  strug- 
gled. No  use;  he  couldn't  get  away;  but  he  wouldn't  be 
pacified.  At  last  his  father  put  a  little  club  in  his  hand, 
and  said,  "Strike  that  tree!"— A  great  hickory  that  stood 
near  the  house. 

The  child  struck  the  tree,  the  tree  fell  to  the  ground. 
Everything  that  he  hit  with  his  club  was  killed.  He  was 
delighted,  he  didn't  cry  any  more. 

The  little  fellow  stayed  now  with  his  brother  and  the 
two  played  while  their  father  was  off  hunting. 

"You  must  not  go  towards  the  North,"  said  their  father; 
"bad  people  live  there." 

"Let's  go  North,"  said  the  little  one,  as  soon  as  his 
father  was  out  of  sight,  "I  want  to  find  out  what  is 
there." 

The  boys  started  and  went  on  till  they  came  to  wooded 
and  swampy  ground,  then  the  little  one  heard  people  call, 
"My  father,  my  father,  my  father/'  and  he  said  to  himself, 
"Those  people  want  to  hurt  my  father,  I'll  kill  them." 

He  piled  up  stones,  made  them  red  hot,  and  hurled  them 
into  the  swamp  till  he  had  killed  all  the  people  there— 
they  were  frogs  and  they  sang,  "Ho'qwa!  Ho'qwa!" 

When  the  boys  got  home  their  father  was  angry,  and 
said,  ' '  You  must  not  go  to  the  swamp  again,  and  you  must 
not  go  West.     It  is  dangerous  there  too." 


362  SENECA    MYTHS 

The  next  day  when  his  father  had  gone  hunting,  the 
little  boy  said  to  his  brother,  "I  want  to  know  what  is  in 
the  West,  let  us  go  there." 

The  two  traveled  West  till  they  came  to  a  tall  pine  tree. 
On  the  top  of  the  tree  was  a  nest  made  of  skins. 

"Oh,"  said  the  little  boy,  "that  is  a  queer  place  for  a 
nest.  I  would  like  to  see  what  is  in  it.  I'll  climb  up 
there." 

Up  he  went  and  on  the  top  of  the  tree  he  found  two 
naked  children,  a  boy  and  a  girl.  They  were  terribly 
frightened  when  they  saw  him.  He  pinched  the  boy  till 
he  cried  out,  "Father!  Father!  Some  strange  child  has 
come  and  is  frightening  me." 

Suddenly  a  terrible  voice  was  heard  in  the  far  West. 
The  voice  came  nearer  and  nearer,  and  a  great  dark  object 
hurried  along  in  the  air  till  it  reached  the  nest  on  the 
top  of  the  tree — It  was  Old  Man  Thunder. 

The  boy  raised  his  club  and  struck  him  on  the  head, 
crushed  him  and  he  fell  to  the  ground,  dead. 

Then  the  boy  pinched  the  little  girl  till  she  called  out, 
"Mother!  Mother!  Some  strange  boy  has  come  and  is 
teasing  me." 

That  minute  the  voice  of  Mother  Thunder  was  heard 
in  the  West  and  soon  she  was  at  the  nest. 

The  boy  raised  his  club  and  struck  her  on  the  head  and 
she  too  fell  to  the  ground,  dead. 

"This  Thunder  baby  will  make  a  splendid  tobacco 
pouch  for  my  father,"  thought  the  boy,  "I'll  take  him 
home. ' ' 

He  struck  the  boy  with  his  club  and  threw  him  to  the 
ground.  He  threw  the  little  girl  also,  then  he  went  down 
himself,  and  said  to  his  brother,  "Now  we  will  go  home." 

When  the  boys  got  home  the  little  one  said,  "Oh, 
Father,  I  have  brought  you  a  splendid  pouch." 

"What  have  you  done  now?"  asked  the  father  when  he 
saw  the  Thunder  baby.  "Old  Man  Thunder  and  his  wife 
have  never  done  us  any  harm.  They  bring  rain  and  do 
good,  but  they  will  destroy  us  in  revenge  for  what  you 
have  done." 

"They'll  not  harm  us,"  said  the  boy,  "I've  killed  the 
whole  family." 


QUAIL  KILLS  COLD  WEATHER     363 

Another  day  the  father  said  to  the  boys,  "You  mustn't 
go  North,  that  is  the  country  of  the  Stone  Coats  (Ice  and 
Great  Cold)." 

The  elder  brother  wouldn't  go,  so  the  little  one  started 
off  alone.  About  midday  he  heard  the  loud  barking  of  a 
Stone  Coat's  dog  and  knowing  that  its  master  must  be 
near  he  crawled  into  the  heart  of  a  chestnut  tree. 

Soon  Stone  Coat  came,  looked  at  the  tree,  and  said, 
"There  is  nothing  here." 

But  his  dog,  as  tall  as  a  deer,  barked  and  looked  up, 
so  Stone  Coat  struck  the  tree  with  his  mallet.  The  tree 
split  open  and  the  boy  fell  out. 

"What  a  strange  little  fellow  you  are,"  said  Stone  Coat, 
looking  at  the  boy,  "You  are  not  big  enough  to  fill  a 
hole  in  a  tooth." 

"I'm  not  here  to  fill  holes  in  your  teeth,"  said  the  boy, 
"I  came  to  go  home  with  you  and  see  how  you  live." 

"All  right!  come  with  me." 

Stone  Coat  was  enormously  tall,  he  carried  two  bears 
in  his  belt  as  a  common  man  would  carry  two  squirrels. 
Once  in  a  while  he  looked  down  at  the  little  fellow  running 
by  his  side,  and  said,  "Oh,  you  are  a  curious  little 
creature ! ' ' 

Stone  Coat's  house  was  very  large  and  long.  The  boy 
had  never  seen  anything  like  it. 

Stone  Coat  skinned  the  two  bears,  took  one  himself  and 
put  one  before  his  visitor,  saying,  "Eat  this  bear  or  I'll 
eat  you  and  the  bear  together." 

"If  you  don't  eat  your  bear  before  I  eat  mine,  may  I 
kill  you ! ' '  asked  the  boy. 

1 '  You  may  kill  me, ' '  said  Stone  Coat. 

The  boy  cut  off  pieces  of  meat  as  fast  as  he  could  and 
put  them  in  his  mouth,  but  he  kept  running  in  and  out, 
hiding  the  meat.  He  was  so  small  that  Stone  Coat  didn't 
see  what  he  was  doing.  In  a  short  time  all  of  the  flesh 
of  the  bear  had  disappeared,  then  he  said  to  Stone  Coat, 
"You  haven't  finished  eating  your  bear.  I  am  going  to 
kill  you." 

Stone  Coat  said,  "Wait  till  I  show  you  how  to  slide  down 
hill." 

He  took  the  boy  to  a  long  icy  hill  that  ended  in  a  cave, 


364  SENECA    MYTHS 

put  him  in  a  bark  bowl  and  sent  the  bowl  down  at  great 
speed.  Presently  the  boy  ran  up  to  where  he  had  started 
from. 

" Where  is  my  bowl?''  asked  Stone  Coat. 

"I  don't  know;  it  has  gone  down  somewhere,"  said  the 
boy. 

" Let's  see  who  can  kick  this  log  highest,"  said  Stone 
Coat. 

The  log  was  large  around,  long  and  very  heavy.  Stone 
Coat  put  his  foot  under  the  log  and  lifted  it  into  the  air 
twice  his  own  length. 

The  boy  put  his  foot  under  the  log  and  sent  it  whistling 
through  the  air.  It  was  gone  a  long  time,  then  came  down 
on  Stone  Coat's  head  and  crushed  him. 

"Come  home  with  me,"  said  the  boy  to  Stone  Coat's 
dog. 

"Now  my  father  will  have  a  splendid  dog,"  thought  he. 

When  the  man  saw  the  dog  he  cried  out,  "What  have 
you  done?    Stone  Coat  will  kill  us." 

"I've  killed  Stone  Coat.  He'll  not  trouble  us,"  said 
the  boy. 

"My  boys,"  said  the  man,  "You  must  never  go  South- 
west. That  is  where  the  people  live  who  are  always 
gambling. ' ' 

The  next  day  the  little  boy  started  off  alone ;  about  mid- 
day he  came  to  an  opening  in  the  woods.  At  the  farther 
end  of  the  opening  was  a  roof  on  posts,  under  the  roof  was 
a  man  whose  head  was  larger  than  the  head  of  a  buffalo. 
He  was  shaking  dice  for  the  heads  of  men  who  came  along. 
Crowds  of  men  were  betting  in  threes.  When  the  game 
was  lost,  the  big-headed  man  had  the  three  men  stand  on 
one  side  while  he  played  with  three  other  men.  When  they 
lost,  they  stood  with  the  first  three  and  so  on  till  the 
number  of  losers'  was  large  enough,  then  he  cut  off  each 
man's  head. 

As  the  boy  came,  a  large  number  of  men  had  lost  and 
were  waiting  to  be  killed.  Hope  came  to  them  for  they 
knew  that  the  boy  had  great  power. 

The  game  began  again ;  the  boy  playing.  When  the  big- 
headed  man  threw  the  dice,  the  boy  caused  some  to  remain 
in  the  dish  and  others  to  go  high  and  when  they  came 


QUAIL  KILLS  COLD  WEATHER     36S 

back  to  be  of  different  colors.  He  threw;  the  dice  became 
woodcocks,  flew  high  and  came  down  dice,  all  of  one  color. 

The  two  played  till  the  boy  won  back  the  men  who  were 
waiting  to  have  their  heads  cut  off,  and  the  big-headed  man 
lost  his  own  head. 

The  crowd  shouted,  and  said,  "Now  you  must  be  our 
chief !" 

"How  could  such  a  little  fellow  as  I  am  be  chief? 
Maybe  my  father  would  like  to  be  your  chief,  I  will  ask 
him." 

The  boy  went  home  and  told  his  father,  but  his  father 
would  not  go  to  the  land  of  the  gamblers,  he  said,  "You 
have  come  back  from  the  Southwest,  but  you  must  not  go 
to  the  East,  bad  men  play  ball  there.' ' 

The  next  day  the  boy  went  toward  the  East  till  he 
came  to  a  beautiful  plain,  a  large  level  space  where  Wolves 
and  Bears  were  playing  ball  with  Eagles,  Turtles  and 
Beavers. 

The  boy  took  the  side  of  the  Wolves  and  Bears  and 
they  said,  "If  you  win  the  game  for  us,  we  will  make  you 
chief  of  this  country.' ' 

The  boy  won. 

He  went  home  and  said  to  his  father,  "I  have  won  all 
the  beautiful  country  of  the  East.  You  must  go  there 
and  be  chief."  The  father  and  his  two  sons  went  to  that 
country  and  there  they  lived. — This  is  the  story. 

The  little  boy  is  called  Popkp^knos,  Quail,  and  is  said 
to  personify  Summer  or  Warm  Weather.  He  kills  Stone 
Coat,  a  character  known  to  be  Ice  and  Cold  Weather,  and 
he  also  kills  the  Thunder  Family. 


GAQGA'  AND  SKAGEDI 
[Told  by  George  Titus] 


Characters 


Gaqga'    Eaven 

Skagedi One-half  of  Anything 


A  BROTHER  and  sister  lived  together.  The  brother 
never  let  his  sister  go  out  of  the  house.  When  he 
went  hunting,  he  told  his  dog  to  stay  at  home  and  get 
whatever  the  girl  wanted. 

One  day  when  the  brother  was  away  the  girl  wanted 
water,  and,  not  seeing  the  dog,  thought,  "What  harm  can 
it  do?  I'll  go  to  the  spring  and  get  back  quickly.' ' 

She  ran  to  the  spring,  stooped  down  and  filled  the 
bucket,  but  as  she  straightened  up  and  rested,  putting  the 
bucket  at  the  edge  of  the  spring,  someone  grasped  her  from 
behind,  lifted  her  into  the  air  and  carried  her  off. 

The  dog  followed,  barking  loudly.  He  made  a  spring 
into  the  air  to  catch  the  girl,  but  he  couldn't  reach  her. 

The  brother,  hearing  the  dog  bark,  hurried  home  and 
finding  his  sister  gone,  said  to  the  dog,  "You  have  caused 
great  trouble." 

The  dog  felt  so  badly  that  he  bent  his  head  down, 
curled  it  under  and  became  stone. 

Gaqga',  the  man  who  stole  the  girl,  took  her  to  an  island 
in  the  middle  of  a  lake. 

Every  day  Gaqga'  went  away  and  came  back  with  dry 
fish  that  he  found  on  the  shore  of  the  lake.    Sometimes  he 

366 


GAQGA   AND    SKAGEDI  367 

brought  pieces  of  human  flesh  which  he  ate  himself,  send- 
ing the  girl  to  get  water  for  him  to  drink. 

One  day  when  the  girl  went  to  the  edge  of  the  island  to 
get  water,  a  man  stood  before  her,  and  said,  "I  have  come 
here  to  tell  you  that  Gaqga'  is  very  hungry  and  he  has 
made  up  his  mind  to  kill  you  to-morrow.  He  will  tell  you 
to  bring  water  and  fill  the  kettle.  As  soon  as  this  is  done 
he  will  take  up  his  club  to  kill  you.  You  must  run  behind 
the  post  that  the  kettle  hangs  on.  He  will  strike  the  post 
and  break  his  arm,  then  come  to  this  place  as  quickly  as 
you  can." 

The  next  day  Gaqga'  did  as  the  stranger  said  he  would. 
When  he  struck  at  the  girl  she  dodged,  his  arm  hit  the 
post  and  broke.  She  ran  to  the  lake;  the  stranger  was 
there  and  had  a  canoe.  They  sat  in  the  canoe  and  the 
man  pushed  out  on  to  the  lake.  This  man  was  Skag£di 
(One-half  of  anything).  When  he  stepped  into  the  canoe 
he  divided  and  one-half  sat  at  each  end.  They  crossed 
the  lake  and  as  they  touched  land  the  half  of  Skag£di  at 
the  rear  end  of  the  canoe  was  raised  up  and  thrown  across 
the  canoe.  It  struck  the  front  half  and  joining  it  became 
a  whole  man.  The  girl  was  sitting  on  the  bottom  of  the 
canoe. 

Skagedi's  mother  was  at  the  landing.  She  went  to  the 
girl  and  saying,  "My  daughter  come  with  me,"  led  her 
to  a  house. 

The  girl  was  now  Skagedi's  wife.  Every  time  he  went 
out  in  his  canoe  he  divided  himself  and  one-half  sat  at 
each  end  of  the  canoe.  As  soon  as  he  touched  land  he 
became  one  again. 

Skagedi  had  all  his  life  been  traveling  around  on  the 
lake,  liberating  persons  captured  by  bad  men  and  wizards. 

After  a  time  Skagedi  's  wife  gave  birth  to  twin  boys. 
As  soon  as  they  were  born,  the  grandmother  threw  them 
into  the  lake.  As  they  touched  the  water  they  began  to 
paddle  and  quickly  came  to  shore. 

She  threw  them  in  a  second  time;  in  a  minute  they 
were  back;  she  threw  them  a  third  time,  and  far  out. 
When  they  swam  to  shore,  she  said,  ' '  That  will  do. ' '  They 
began  to  run  around  and  play. 

The  boys  grew  quickly  and  after  a  while  said  to  their 


368  SENECA    MYTHS 

father,  "You  ought  to  stay  at  home  and  let  us  go  out  in 
the  canoe  and  do  your  work." 

"Very  well,"  said  Skag£di. 

The  boys  started  and  after  rowing  some  distance  one 
said  to  the  other,  "See,  there  is  something  off  there  on 
land  that  looks  as  if  it  were  breathing.  Let  us  go  ashore 
and  find  out  what  it  is." 

They  landed,  and  going  to  the  spot,  found  an  old  house 
lying  flat  on  the  ground,  but  inside  something  was  breath- 
ing and  soon  they  saw  that  it  was  a  very  old  man.  They 
got  him  out  from  under  the  house  and  one  of  the  boys 
said,  "This  is  our  uncle.    We  must  take  him  home." 

The  man  was  willing  to  go.  As  they  were  leaving  the 
place  he  pointed  to  a  large  stone,  and  said,  "That  is  my 
dog,"  and  striking  it  with  a  switch  he  called  out,  "Get 
up ! "  The  dog  rose,  shook,  stretched  himself  and  followed 
the  man. 

When  they  reached  home,  the  boys  said,  "Mother,  we 
have  found  our  uncle."  She  looked  at  the  man  and  sure 
enough  he  was  her  brother. 

The  boys  said  to  their  grandmother,  "You  must  marry 
our  uncle. ' ' 

"Very  well,"  said  the  woman. 

After  that  they  all  lived  together  happily. 


THE  MAN-EATER  AND  HIS  YOUNGER 
BROTHER 


Characters 


Ongweias  Man-Eater 

Shagodyoweq  gowa, 

Frost  and  Great  Cold  ("People") 


TWO  brothers  went  on  a  hunting  expedition.  After 
they  had  been  quite  a  while  in  the  woods  and  had 
good  luck  in  finding  game,  they  built  a  bark  house. 

At  first  they  had  everything  in  common,  but  one  day 
the  elder  said  to  the  younger,  "We  must  live  apart  for 
the  future.  We  will  make  a  partition  in  the  middle  of 
the  house  and  have  a  door  at  each  end.  You  will  always 
go  out  of  the  door  in  your  part  of  the  house  and  I  will  go 
out  of  the  one  in  my  part." 

The  younger  brother  agreed,  and  they  made  the  parti- 
tion, then  the  elder  brother  said,  "Now  each  one  will  live 
by  himself.  I  will  not  go  to  your  part  of  the  house  and 
you  will  not  come  to  mine.  When  we  want  to  say  any- 
thing we  will  talk  through  the  partition.  You  can  hunt 
birds  and  animals,  but  I  will  hunt  men  and  kill  them. 
Neither  of  us  will  marry  or  bring  a  woman  to  the  house. 
If  I  marry,  you  will  kill  me  if  you  can.  If  you  marry,  I 
will  try  to  kill  you. ' ' 

Both  agreed  to  this  arrangement,  and  for  a  long  time 
lived  according  to  it,  but  one  day,  when  the  brothers  were 
out  hunting,  a  woman  came  to  the  younger  brother's  part 
of  the  house.     The  elder  brother  tracked  her,  caught  her 

369 


370  SENECA    MYTHS 

at  the  door,  dragged  her  into  his  part  of  the  house,  killed 
and  ate  her.  When  the  younger  brother  came  home  the 
elder  said,  "I  had  good  luck  to-day,  near  home." 

The  younger  knew  what  his  brother  had  done,  but  all 
he  said  was,  "It  is  well  to  have  good  luck." 

A  second  time  the  elder  brother  tracked  a  woman  to  his 
brother 's  part  of  the  .house.  This  time  he  knocked  at  the 
door  and  called  out,  "Give  me  a  couple  of  arrows;  there 
is  an  elk  out  here." 

The  woman  carried  him  the  arrows  and  the  minute  she 
opened  the  door  he  killed  her.  He  dragged  the  body  into 
his  part  of  the  house  and  ate  it  up. 

When  the  younger  brother  came,  he  talked  through  the 
partition  as  before,  but  said  nothing  about  the  woman. 

The  next  woman  who  came  to  him  he  warned  against 
opening  the  door,  told  her  not  to  open  it  for  anyone,  even 
for  him;  he  would  come  in  himself. 

The  elder  brother  ran  to  the  door,  knocked  and  called 
out,  "Give  me  a  couple  of  arrows;  there  is  a  bear  out 
here." 

The  woman  sat  by  the  fire,  didn't  move. 

Again  he  called,  "Give  me  the  arrows;  the  bear  will 
get  away." 

She  didn't  stir,  and  after  a  while  he  went  into  his  own 
part  of  the  house. 

When  the  younger  brother  came  the  woman  told  him 
what  had  happened. 

While  they  were  whispering,  the  elder  brother  called 
out,  "Brother,  you  are  whispering  to  someone.  Who  is 
it?    Haven't  you  a  woman  in  there?" 

"I  am  counting  my  game,"  answered  the  young  man. 

There  was  silence  for  a  time,  then  the  young  man  began 
whispering  cautiously  to  the  woman. 

He  said,  "In  the  morning  my  brother  and  I  will  have 
a  life  and  death  struggle.  You  must  help  me,  but  it  will 
be  difficult  for  he  will  make  himself  like  me  in  form  and 
voice,  but  strike  him  if  you  can." 

The  woman  took  a  small  squash  shell  and  tied  it  in  the 
young  man's  hair  so  she  might  distinguish  him. 

The  brother  again  called  out,  "You  have  a  woman  in 
there.    You  are  whispering  to  her,"  but  he  got  no  answer. 


THE    MAN-EATER  371 

In  the  morning  the  brothers  met  and  began  to  fight  with 
clubs  and  flint  knives.  When  their  weapons  broke,  they 
clinched.  Soon  both  were  on  the  ground.  Sometimes  one 
was  under,  sometimes  the  other.  The  elder  brother  was 
exactly  like  the  younger  and  repeated  his  words.  When- 
ever the  younger  called  to  the  woman,  "Strike  him!"  the 
elder  cried  out, ' '  Strike  him ! ' ' 

The  woman  couldn't  tell  which  one  to  strike.  At  last 
she  caught  sight  of  the  squash  shell.  Then  she  struck  a 
heavy  blow  and  killed  the  elder  brother.  They  put  the 
body  on  a  pile  of  wood  and  burned  it  up,  then  scattered 
the  ashes. 

But  the  young  man  knew  his  brother  would  come  to  life. 
He  put  the  woman  in  a  cattail,  put  the  cattail  on  the  point 
of  his  arrow  and  shot  it  far  away  to  the  West.  Then  he 
ran  through  the  heart  of  the  post  of  the  house,  sprang 
after  the  arrow  and  coming  to  the  ground  ran  with  great 
speed  till  he  found  where  the  arrow  had  struck  and  the 
cattail  burst  open.  Then  he  soon  overtook  the  woman  and 
they  traveled  on  together. 

He  said,  '"We  must  travel  fast,  for  my  brother  will 
come  to  life  and  follow  us." 

The  next  morning  they  heard  somebody  whoop.  The 
young  man  said,  "That  is  my  brother;  he  will  destroy  us 
if  he  can." 

He  changed  the  woman  into  a  half -decayed  stump ;  hid 
himself  a  short  distance  away,  and,  taking  off  his  moc- 
casins, told  them  to  run  on  ahead;  to  go  quickly  through 
swamps  and  thickets  and  over  hills  and  mountains  and 
come  back  to  him  by  a  round-about  way. 

When  the  elder  .brother  reached  the  rotten  stump,  he 
looked  at  it  and  was  suspicious  but  he  followed  the  mocca- 
sins and  went  on  swiftly  all  day  and  all  night,  then  he 
turned  back.  When  he  came  to  the  place  where  he  had 
seen  the  stump,  and  it  wasn't  there,  he  was  awfully  angry, 
for  he  knew  he  had  been  fooled.  He  found  his  brother's 
tracks  and  followed  them. 

When  they  heard  him  whoop,  the  young  man  took  out 
of  his  pouch  the  jaw  of  a  beaver,  stuck  the  teeth  in  the 
ground,  and  said,  "Let  beavers  come  and  build  a  dam 
across  the  world  so  water  may  rise  to  my  brother's  neck, 


372  SENECA    MYTHS 

and  let  the  beavers  bite  him  when  he  tries  to  cross  the 
dam." 

When  the  elder  brother  came  up,  the  dam  was  built,  and 
the  water  was  neck  high;  his  brother's  tracks  disappeared 
at  the  edge  of  the  water,  and  he  said,  "If  they  have  gone 
through,  I  can." 

When  the  water  reached  his  breast,  beavers  began  to 
bite  him.  He  was  forced  to  turn  back  and  look  for  an- 
other crossing.  He  ran  all  day,  but  could  find  no  end 
to  the  dam.  Then  he  cried  out,  "I  have  never  heard  that 
there  was  a  beaver  dam  across  the  world,"  and  turning 
he  ran  back  to  the  place  he  had  started  from.  The  dam 
was  gone,  all  that  remained  was  a  beaver's  jaw  with  two 
teeth  in  it. 

The  man-eater  hurried  along  as  fast  as  he  could  and 
again  the  man  and  woman  heard  his  whoop.  The  man 
took  a  pigeon-feather  from  his  pouch,  placed  it  on  the 
ground,  and  said,  "Let  all  the  pigeons  in  the  world  come 
and  leave  droppings  here." 

All  the  pigeons  in  the  world  came  and  soon  there  was 
a  ridge  six  feet  high,  made  of  droppings. 

When  the  elder  brother  came  to  the  ridge,  he  said,  *  *  Their 
tracks  are  here;  if  they  have  gone  through,  I  can." 

He  tried,  and  when  he  couldn't  get  through  he  turned 
back  and  ran  eastward  to  look  for  an  opening,  ran  all  day. 
The  ridge  was  everywhere.  He  went  back  to  the  place 
that  he  had  started  from  and  slept  till  morning.  When 
he  wakened,  the  ridge  was  gone ;  all  he  found  was  a  pigeon 
feather  sticking  in  the  ground. 

After  dropping  the  feather,  the  younger  brother  and 
the  woman  ran  till  they  came  to  where  an  old  man  sat 
mending  a  fish  net. 

The  old  man  said,  "I  will  delay  the  man-eater  as  long 
as  I  can.  You  have  an  aunt  living  west  of  here,  beyond 
her  house  the  trail  passes  between  two  rocks  that  move 
backward  and  forward  so  quickly  that  whoever  tries  to 
go  between  them  is  crushed,  but  beg  of  your  aunt  and  she 
will  stop  them." 

The  two  hurried  on,  came  to  the  woman  and  begged  her 
to  help  them.  She  stopped  the  rocks  long  enough  for  them 
to  spring  through,  then  she  said,  "You  will  soon  reach  a 


THE    MAN-EATER  373 

river.  On  the  other  side  of  the  river  you  will  see  a  man 
with  a  canoe,  beckon  to  him  and  he  will  come  and  take 
you  across.  Beyond  the  river  are  the  Frost  people  (Shago- 
dyoweq  gowa)  but  they  will  not  harm  you.  A  little 
animal  will  come  to  meet  you.  Follow  it  and  it  will  lead 
you  to  an  opening.  In  the  opening  you  will  find  your 
mother's  house." 

When  the  elder  brother  came  to  the  old  man,  who  was 
mending  a  fish  net,  he  pushed  him,  and  called  out,  "Did 
anyone  pass  here?" 

The  old  man  didn't  answer. 

He  struck  him  a  blow  on  the  head  and  asked  again,  ' '  Did 
anyone  pass  here?" 

The  fisherman  threw  his  net  over  the  man,  entangled 
him  and  he  fell,  but  after  struggling  a  time  he  freed  him- 
self and  hurried  on.  When  he  came  to  the  woman  who 
guarded  the  rocks  he  begged  her  to  stop  them  and  let  him 
pass.  She  refused  and  he  watched  for  a  chance  to  spring 
through.  At  last,  when  he  thought  the  rocks  were  moving 
slowly,  he  jumped.  He  was  caught  and  half  his  body  was 
crushed ;  but  he  rubbed  it  with  saliva  and  cured  it.  Then 
he  hurried  on.  When  he  came  to  the  river  and  saw  the 
man  on  the  opposite  bank  he  shouted  to  him  to  come  with 
his  canoe  and  take  him  across,  but  the  man  didn't  look 
up.  He  shouted  again  and  got  no  answer,  then  he  swam 
across. 

On  that  side  of  the  river  was  a  forest  where  all  of  the 
trees  had  been  stripped  of  bark  and  killed  by  the  hammer- 
ing of  mudturtle  rattles.  The  hammering  had  been  done 
by  the  Frost  people  in  keeping  time  while  they  danced. 
These  people  turned  upon  the  man-eater,  killed  him,  ham- 
mered all  the  flesh  off  of  his  body,  then  hammered  his  bones 
till  there  wasn't  a  bit  of  them  left. 

When  the  mother  saw  her  son  and  his  wife  she  was 
happy,  and  said,  "I  am  glad  that  you  have  come.  I  was 
afraid  that  your  brother,  who  stole  you  away  from  me, 
would  kill  you.    Now  you  will  stay  with  me  always." 

They  lived  happily  ever  after. 


THE  EABBIT   BROTHERS 
[Told  by  John  Armstrong] 


Characters 


Tondayent  White  Rabbit 

Dagwanoedyent  Whirlwind 


SIX  brothers  and  a  sister  lived  in  a  long  house  in  a 
clearing  in  the  woods.  The  house  stood  East  and 
West  with  a  door  at  each  end  and  a  fire  in  the  middle. 
Three  brothers  occupied  one  half  of  the  house  and  three 
the  other  half.  Each  man  was  obliged  to  stay  on  his  own 
side  of  the  fire,  never  crossing  to  the  other  side,  and  always 
to  go  in  and  out  at  his  own  door,  never  using  the  door  of 
the  other  three. 

Whenever  the  brothers  were  away  hunting,  the  sister 
was  alone  in  the  house.  She  had  the  right  to  go  every- 
where and  in  and  out  both  doors. 

The  Tondayents  lived  a  long  time  in  this  way,  then 
one  day  the  eldest  brother  asked,  "How  would  it  be  if  I 
were  to  marry  and  bring  my  wife  into  the  house?" 

"Oh,"  answered  the  brothers,  "it  would  be  well  if  she 
didn't  abuse  us." 

He  went  to  an  old  woman,  who  lived  in  the  West  and 
had  six  daughters,  and  asked,  "How  would  you  like  to 
have  me  marry  one  of  your  daughters?" 

"Very  well,"  said  the  mother,  "if  you  would  be  kind 
to  her  and  not  abuse  her." 

He  promised  to  be  kind,  and  went  home. 

The  girl  made  a  basketful  of  marriage  bread  and  the 

374 


THE    RABBIT    BROTHERS  375 

next  day  came  to  his  house  bringing  the  bread.  The 
brothers  were  glad.  They  ate  the  bread  and  the  woman 
stayed.  Her  brother  told  her  that  three  brothers  had 
one  half  of  the  house  and  three  the  other  half  and  each 
three  had  their  own  door.  The  sister  was  the  only  person 
who  could  go  in  and  out  at  either  door. 

For  a  time  the  woman  was  satisfied  and  the  Tondayents 
were  happy,  but  one  day  she  said  to  herself,  ''I'm  not 
going  to  obey  such  a  silly  rule,  I'll  go  out  of  whichever 
door  I  choose. " 

She  crossed  the  house  and  went  out  of  the  forbidden 
door.  The  minute  she  did  this  her  husband,  who  was 
hunting  in  the  woods,  in  crossing  a  fallen  tree,  got  the 
strings  of  his  moccasins  tangled  on  a  knot  of  the  tree, 
fell  and  hung  there,  head  down,  helpless. 

Five  of  the  brothers  came  home  from  hunting.  They 
missed  their  brother  and  waited  a  long  time  for  him.  At 
last  they  took  torches  and  started  off  to  look  for  him. 
After  a  long  search  they  found  him  hanging  to  the  tree 
stiff  and  half  dead.  They  carried  him  home,  rubbed  him 
and  brought  him  to  life. 

The  next  morning  when  the  man  was  himself  again,  he 
began  to  scold  his  wife,  who  by  her  disobedience  had  almost 
killed  him.  He  said,  ''You  will  kill  us  all.  I  don't  want 
you  any  longer.    Go  home!    You  can't  stay  here."^ 

They  were  both  very  angry.  He  started  to  drive  her 
out,  but  as  he  went  toward  her  she  held  up  a  skin  blanket 
which  she  wore  over  her  shoulders  and  instantly  the  man's 
eyes  were  on  the  blanket. 

The  second  brother,  seeing  what  the  woman  had  done, 
screamed,  ' '  You  have  killed  my  brother !  You  have  taken 
out  his  eyes.  I  will  kill  you!"  and  he  ran  after  her.  But 
before  he  reached  her  she  turned,  threw  up  the  blanket, 
and  immediately  his  eyes  were  on  the  blanket. 

In  the  same  manner  the  other  brothers  followed  her 
and  each  in  turn  lost  his  eyes.  All  groped  their  way  back 
to  the  house  and  sat  down  in  despair. 

Now  the  young  sister  was  left  to  keep  her  brothers  alive. 
Each  day  she  went  to  the  woods  to  collect  roots  and  oak 
nuts  to  feed  the  blind  men.  One  day,  when  she  went  to 
the  river  for  water,  she  heard  loud  laughter  and  looking 


376  SENECA    MYTHS 

up  saw  a  canoe  coming  and  in  it  were  two  children,  who 
were  having  great  sport.  They  drew  near,  and  said  to 
the  girl,  "You  must  come  and  ride  with  us,  it  is  great 
fun." 

"I  cannot,"  said  the  girl.  "I  have  to  take  care  of  my 
blind  brothers." 

"Oh,  come  a  little  way,"  urged  the  children,  "You  don't 
know  how  nice  it  is. ' ' 

"No,"  said  the  girl,  "I  cannot." 

"But  only  a  little  way,  we  will  let  you  right  out  again." 

At  last,  after  much  urging,  the  girl  got  into  the  canoe; 
the  children  turned  it  and  went  a  short  distance.  Then 
she  said,  "I  must  get  out." 

"Oh,  go  a  little  farther,  just  to  the  next  turn." 

When  they  got  to  the  turn  she  again  begged  to  get  out. 
They  said,  "Just  a  bit  farther." 

Soon  they  came  to  a  lake.  As  the  girl  looked  toward 
the  stern  to  beg  the  child  to  let  her  out,  she  saw  a  fat, 
ugly  old  man  sitting  there.  Looking  to  the  other  end  of 
the  canoe  she  saw  the  little  child  was  gone;  she  was  alone 
with  the  terrible  old  man. 

They  went  on  swiftly  and  soon  came  to  an  island  on 
which  there  was  a  bark  house.  The  old  man  said,  "Get 
out  and  go  into  the  house." 

It  was  a  strange  looking  house  and  in  it  sat  a  fat  old 
woman.  The  man  said  to  her,  "I  have  brought  nice  game 
for  you." 

"Thank  you!  thank  you!"  answered  the  old  woman, 
and  turning  to  the  girl  she  said,  "Take  that  bed  on  the 
shelf." 

The  man  said,  "Let  her  be  well-fed." 

They  gave  her  plenty  to  eat  and  after  a  time  the  girl 
knew  that  she  was  growing  fat ;  her  body  felt  heavy.  There 
was  another  girl,  about  her  own  size,  in  the  house.  Waking 
up  one  morning  she  saw  a  great  many  hands  and  feet 
hanging  on  the  beams  and  she  asked  the  other  girl  why 
they  were  there. 

She  said,  "Those  are  the  hands  and  feet  of  people  who 
have  been  eaten  up.  When  these  men-eaters  are  hungry, 
if  they  haven't  fresh  meat,  they  boil  dried  hands  and  feet 
and  eat  them.     When  they  kill  us,  to-day  or  to-morrow, 


THE    RABBIT    BROTHERS  377 

they  will  eat  our  bodies  and  hang  up  our  feet  and  hands 
to  make  soup  of  when  they  get  hungry." 

As  the  girl  lay  thinking  of  her  fate  she  saw  some  one 
looking  down  through  the  smoke-hole  and  she  asked,  ' '  Who 
are  you?    What  are  you  looking  for?" 

"lam  the  son  of  DAGWANOEnYENT  (Whirlwind).  I  can 
save  you  if  you  do  as  I  tell  you.  The  old  woman  wants 
to  kill  you  to-day.  She  will  send  you  to  get  the  water 
that  you  are  to  boil  in.  Go  to  the  lake,  pick  up  three 
round  stones,  put  them  side  by  side  at  the  edge  of  the 
water.  Some  distance  from  the  stones  stick  a  wooden 
mannikin  in  the  ground.  When  you  have  carried  two 
pailfuls  of  water  to  the  house,  I  will  meet  you  with  a 
canoe.  After  the  old  woman  has  waited  a  while  she  will 
come  to  the  lake  to  look  for  you.  She  will  find  the  manni- 
kin and  think  you  have  turned  yourself  into  it.  She  will 
take  her  club  and  beat  the  mannikin  and  we  will  gain 
time." 

Whirlwind's  son  went  away.  Soon  the  old  woman  called 
out,  "Here,  it's  time  to  get  up!  Go  and  bring  me  some 
water. ' ' 

The  old  woman  got  her  kettle  ready  to  put  over  the 
fire  and  the  girl  went  to  the  lake  for  water.  She  found 
three  round  stones  and  placed  them  side  by  side  at  the 
water's  edge,  stuck  a  mannikin  in  the  sand  and  went  back 
to  the  house.  When  she  went  for  the  third  pailful,  Whirl- 
wind's son  was  standing  there  with  one  end  of  his  canoe 
in  the  sand.  The  girl  put  the  stones  into  the  canoe  and 
jumped  in  herself.  The  young  man  pushed  off  the  canoe 
and  away  they  went. 

They  rowed  as  fast  as  they  could  and  were  a  long  way 
out  before  the  old  woman  missed  the  girl.  She  hurried 
to  the  lake  and  seeing  nothing  of  her  walked  up  and  down 
till  she  saw  the  mannikin.  Thinking  it  was  the  girl  she 
pounded  the  mannikin  with  her  club  till,  chancing  to  look 
across  the  lake  she  saw,  in  the  distance,  a  canoe  and  in 
it  Whirlwind's  son  and  the  girl. 

"Oh,  you  good-for-nothing  creature,"  called  she,  "why 
did  you  carry  off  my  game?"  And  taking  out  a  hook 
and  line  she  hurled  it  after  the  canoe.  The  hook  caught 
into  the  canoe  and  she  pulled  it  rapidly  toward  the  shore. 


378  SENECA    MYTHS 

When  the  young  man  saw  they  were  nearing  the  shore 
he  called  to  the  girl,  "Turn  the  canoe  on  one  side!" 

She  did  so  and  broke  the  hook  with  one  of  the  stones. 
Then  they  righted  the  canoe  and  hurried  on  again. 

The  old  woman  threw  another  hook,  saying,  "I'll  kill 
you  both!"  They  turned  the  canoe  over  a  second  time 
and  broke  the  hook  with  the  second  stone.  A  third  time 
she  threw  a  hook  and  a  third  time  they  broke  it.  Then 
she  stooped  down  and  began  to  drink  up  the  lake,  saying, 
"I'll  get  you  at  last;  you'll  not  escape  me." 

Soon  they  saw  that  the  canoe  was  going  in  a  swift  cur- 
rent straight  to  the  shore  and  into  the  old  woman's  mouth. 
Whirlwind's  son  waited  till  they  were  near,  then  running 
to  the  bow  of  the  canoe  he  ripped  up  the  old  woman's 
body  with  a  sharp  flint  knife.  Out  shot  the  water  and 
carried  the  canoe  to  the  other  shore. 

The  young  man  drew  the  canoe  onto  the  sand  and  the 
two  went  toward  his  mother's  house.  Then  he  asked  the 
girl  if  she  would  be  his  wife.  She  consented  and  when 
they  were  near  the  cliffs  he  said,  "I  will  put  you  in  a 
hollow  stump  till  I  go  and  see  my  mother.  She  lives  in 
the  cliff  at  the  head  of  the  creek.  She  is  a  cross  woman  and 
might  harm  you." 

He  left  the  girl  in  a  stump  and  went  on.  When  he  came 
to  his  mother 's  house  two  wolves  sprang  at  him  and  barked 
furiously. 

' '  Get  away,  you  miserable  wolves !  Why  do  your  wolves 
bark  at  me?"  asked  he  of  his  mother. 

"Because  you  smell  of  people." 

"That  is  no  reason.  I  go  everywhere.  Of  course  I 
smell  of  people."  And  he  struck  and  scolded  the  wolves 
till  they  slunk  away. 

After  a  while  he  said,  "Well,  Mother,  what  would  you 
think  if  I  took  a  human  being  for  a  wife?  Would  you 
be  like  your  wolves?" 

"I  wouldn't  be  angry,  but  would  you  like  a  human 
being?" 

"Yes,  I  have  a  body.  You  have  only  a  head,  but  I  am 
like  a  human  being.  I  have  a  nice  wife  out  there  in  a 
stump,  will  you  go  and  bring  her  in?" 

The  old  woman  went  to  the  stump.    When  the  girl  saw 


THE    RABBIT   BROTHERS  379 

the  Head  she  was  frightened,  but  the  Head  said,  " Don't 
be  afraid,  I  will  keep  my  wolves  away." 

The  girl  went  home  with  the  Head  and  the  three  lived 
happily  together.  After  a  while  twins  were  born — two 
handsome  boys.  The  old  grandmother  nursed  the  boys  and 
took  great  care  of  them.  First  she  gave  them  bows  and 
arrows,  then  she  gave  them  ball  clubs.  After  that  they 
wanted  fish  spears.  She  told  them  they  mustn't  go  away 
from  the  house,  if  they  did  an  old  uncle  who  lived  nearby 
might  catch  them;  but  the  boys  went  wherever  they  liked. 

One  day  they  saw  a  great  pine  tree  and  a  nest. 

One  said,  "If  we  go  there  that  old  man  might  see  us." 

"Oh,"  said  the  other,  "We'll  go  and  if  he  shows  him- 
self we  will  kill  him." 

They  went  under  the  tree  and  made  a  noise. 

Their  uncle  looked  down  from  his  nest  and  called  out, 
"I  saw  you  first!" 

The  boys  looked  up,  and  said,  "Very  well." 

The  old  man  asked,  "What  would  you  do  if  a  storm  of 
fish  spears  were  to  come  down  on  yOu?" 

"Oh,  we  would  like  it.  We'd  take  some  of  the  spears 
to  fish  with.     Make  them  come  quickly." 

Old  man  Whirlwind  called  for  a  storm  of  spears  to 
come  from  the  clouds.  The  boys  crept  under  a  big  stone. 
They  heard  a  great  noise  as  of  a  storm  coming  toward 
their  hiding  place.  It  passed  and  when  they  couldn't 
hear  it  any  longer  they  came  out.  There  were  a  great 
many  spears  on  the  ground.  They  picked  up  the  best 
spears  they  could  find,  took  them  home  and  said  to  their 
grandmother,  "We  have  had  good  luck,  our  uncle  sent  a 
storm  of  spears." 

"Don't  go  there  again,"  said  the  old  woman,  "he  will 
kill  you." 

The  boys  laughed.  The  next  morning  they  went  toward 
the  pine  tree.  When  they  were  near  they  hired  a  mole 
to  carry  them  under  the  ground  till  they  were  at  the  tree. 

When  there  they  called  out,  "We  see  you,  Uncle." 

Then  one  of  the  boys  asked,  "What  would  you  do  if  a 
storm  of  fire  should  come  down  on  you?" 

"I  should  die,"  said  the  old  man. 

"Let  i*  come!"  said  the  boy. 


380  SENECA    MYTHS 

That  minute  fire  fell  from  the  clouds.  The  boys  hid 
under  a  great  rock.  When  the  storm  was  over  they  found 
their  uncle  lying  dead  on  the  ground;  his  head  had  burst. 

When  they  told  their  grandmother  what  they  had  done, 
she  cried  and  said,  "He  was  my  brother,  all  the  brother 
I  had." 

One  day  when  the  boys  were  playing  around  they  found 
a  great  hole  in  the  ground  and  in  the  hole  were  six  blind 
men. 

"What  made  you  blind V9  asked  the  boys. 

"A  woman  took  our  eyes  from  us  and  stole  our  sister." 

"Maybe  our  mother  is  your  sister,  our  father  stole  us 
from  a  man-eater.  You  must  be  our  uncles.  We  will  find 
your  eyes." 

The  men  told  the  boys  where  their  home  was  and  the 
two  started  off.  When  they  were  near  the  house,  one 
brother  said  to  the  other,  "You  will  be  a  white  deer  and 
I  will  be  a  wolf  and  chase  you,  when  you  run  toward  the 
house  the  woman  will  come  out  and  chase  me.  While  she 
is  gone  you  must  steal  the  eye  blanket." 

The  woman  heard  a  wolf  and  running  out  saw  it  was 
following  a  white  deer.  She  picked  up  a  club  and  chased 
the  wolf.  The  deer  became  a  boy,  found  the  eye  blanket 
and  ran  off  with  it. 

When  the  boys  came  back  to  where  their  uncles  were, 
they  separated  the  eyes,  gave  a  pair  to  each  man.  Then 
they  could  see  their  nephews. 

After  that  the  six  brothers  lived  with  their  sister  and 
nephews  in  old  woman  Whirlwind's  house. 


MINK   AND   HIS   UNCLE 


Characters 


DwiAunHDANEGEn Two  Feathers 

Hathondes   (Giodaga)    Mink 

TEQDOOnHuiSHE.Woodclmck  Leggings — the  Deceiver 


A  MAN  and  his  nephew  lived  together  in  a  cabin  in 
the  woods.  The  uncle's  name  was  Two  Feathers,  the 
nephew's  was  Mink1  (Hathondes  the  listener). 

The  uncle  and  nephew  were  very  poor,  their  food  was 
the  fungus  of  trees  and  a  kind  of  wood  mushroom. 

When  they  had  lived  in  the  woods  a  long  time  and  the 
boy  was  almost  a  man,  his  uncle  said  one  day,  ' '  To-morrow 
go  to  the  ravine  and  listen.  As  soon  as  you  hear  something, 
come  back  and  tell  me  what  it  is.  At  the  bottom  of  the 
ravine  you  will  find  a  log,  sit  on  the  log,  and  listen." 

The  nephew  did  as  his  uncle  told  him  to.  He  went  to 
the  ravine  and  listened.  When  he  heard  the  call  of  a  bird 
he  was  so  frightened  that  he  started  up  and  ran  home. 
Tumbling  head  first  into  the  cabin,  he  cried,  "Oh,  Uncle, 
I  have  heard  something!" 

"Wait,  Nephew,"  said  the  uncle,  "till  I  light  my  pipe 
and  let  the  smoke  go  up." 

When  the  smoke  was  rising  from  the  pipe,  the  boy  told 
what  he  had  heard,  imitating  the  call  of  the  bird. 

"Oh,  Nephew,"  said  the  uncle,  "that  is  nothing,  go 
again  to-morrow. ' ' 

i  In  one  version  of  the  story  it  was  Scorched  Belly,  a  name  given 
the  boy  because  his  body  was  red  from  lying  in  the  hot  ashes  at  the 
end  of  the  fire. 

381 


382  SENECA    MYTHS 

The  next  day  the  boy  went  to  the  ravine,  sat  on  the  log 
and  listened.  Soon  he  heard  the  cry  of  an  owl.  He  ran 
home  and  tumbling  head  first  into  the  cabin,  cried,  "Oh, 
Uncle,  I  have  heard  something ! ' ' 

"Wait,  Nephew,"  said  the  uncle,  "till  I  light  my  pipe 
and  let  the  smoke  go  up." 

When  the  boy  told  what  he  had  heard,  imitating  the 
cry,  the  uncle  said,  "That  is  nothing.  Go  again  to-mor- 
row. ' ' 

Each  day  the  boy  heard  the  call  of  a  different  bird  and 
told  his  uncle,  imitating  the  call.  After  several  trips  to 
the  ravine  he  heard  women  singing  and  their  song  said, 
* '  I  am  going  after  the  nephew  of  the  Two-Feathered  Man. ' ' 

The  boy  thought,  "I  will  listen  and  learn  that  song." 
Soon  he  heard  it  again,  then  he  went  home  and  when  smoke 
was  rising  from  his  uncle's  pipe,  he  told  what  he  had 
heard  and  sang  the  song. 

His  uncle  said,  "That  is  what  I  wanted  you  to  hear. 
Two  women  are  coming  after  me.  We  must  get  ready  for 
them." 

He  put  nice  skins  on  his  own  couch,  but  threw  his 
nephew's  blanket  on  the  ash  heap  in  the  corner  and  told 
him  to  lie  there  while  the  women  were  in  the  house ;  to  keep 
quiet  and  not  show  his  face. 

The  old  man  put  on  his  best  clothes  and  tried  to  be  as 
nimble  and  bright  as  a  young  man,  and  kept  sending  the 
boy  out  to  see  how  near  the  women  were.  At  last,  when 
they  were  quite  near,  the  boy  ran  in  crying,  "Oh,  Uncle, 
they  are  here!" 

"Lie  down  on  your  blanket  and  don't  stir,"  said  Two 
Feathers. 

The  women  came  in  bringing  a  basket  of  marriage  bread. 
The  old  man  hurried  around  to  make  everything  pleasant 
for  them,  but  they  were  continually  looking  toward  the 
ash-heap  where  Mink  was. 

When  night  came,  Two  Feathers  spread  down  a  blanket 
for  the  women  to  lie  on,  and  said,  "Here  is  a  nice  place 
for  you  to  sleep."  But  they  went  over  to  the  ash-heap 
and  lay  down  near  Mink. 

The  boy  was  asleep  but  they  smoothed  his  hair  and  spoke 
pleasant  words  to  him. 


MINK   AND    HIS   UNCLE  383 

Early  in  the  morning  the  women  went  into  the  forest 
and  each  gathered  a  back-load  of  wood.  When  they  put 
the  wood  down  near  the  house  and  pulled  out  their  straps, 
the  wood  increased  till  it  was  a  great  pile,  then  they  started 
for  home. 

When  Mink  woke  up  he  was  a  young  man,  strong  and 
fine  looking. 

The  uncle  said,  "You  are  a  man  now,  you  must  follow 
those  women.  I  will  get  you  ready  and  teach  you  how 
to  hunt.  You  will  have  power.  Those  women  are  the 
daughters  of  a  great  chief." 

Two  Feathers  brought  an  outfit  for  his  nephews:  a 
panther  coat,  wild-cat  leggings,  owl-skin  moccasins  and 
an  otter-skin  head-dress  with  a  white  heron  on  it.  He 
smoothed  the  bird,  blew  on  it,  and  it  came  to  life.  He 
brought  a  tobacco  pouch  made  of  a  fawn  while  it  was 
spotted.  He  smoothed  the  pouch  and  the  fawn  came  to 
life.     On  the  pipe-stem  sat  two  pigeons. 

The  uncle  said,  "These  birds  will  bring  you  coals  to 
light  your  pipe,  and  whenever  you  spit  while  smoking  you 
will  spit  wampum  beads." 

He  gave  him  a  bow  and  arrows,  and  said,  ' '  These  arrows 
will  never  miss." 

The  young  man  put  on  the  clothes.  They  fitted  him  and 
were  beautiful  to  look  at.  He  took  them  off.  The  cap 
became  a  live  otter,  the  coat  a  live  panther,  the  leggings 
a  pair  of  wild-cats  and  the  moccasins  two  owls. 

"Now,"  said  Two  Feathers.  "I  will  teach  you  to 
hunt." 

They  went  a  short  distance  from  the  cabin. 

The  uncle  said,  "You  must  think  what  kind  of  game 
you  want,  then  call  it." 

"I  will  call  a  deer." 

Two  Feathers  made  the  call  that  a  young  fawn  makes, 
and  soon  a  deer  came  in  sight,  and  then  a  second  deer 
and  a  third  came.  The  young  man  shot  all  his  arrows 
away  and  each  arrow  killed  a  deer. 

They  pulled  the  arrows  out  and  Two  Feathers  said, 
' '  Always  wipe  the  arrows  clean  and  smooth  with  your 
hand.  Now  that  I  have  as  much  meat  as  I  need  you  may 
start.    I  will  put  something  on  your  feet  to  make  you  a 


384  SENECA    MYTHS 

swift  runner,  and  I  will  hang  up  a  wampum  belt  so  that 
I  will  know  if  misfortune  comes  to  you." 

Two  Feathers  hung  up  the  belt,  and  said  to  his  nephew, 
"When  you  are  well,  the  wampum  will  be  high;  if  you 
are  sick,  it  will  lower  till  it  nearly  reaches  the  ground;  if 
you  die,  it  will  drag  on  the  ground. 

"When  you  think  that  I  have  eaten  all  of  the  meat  you 
must  come  and  get  me  more.  Go  straight  East.  About 
midday  you  will  find  a  trail;  follow  it.  You  will  meet 
Woodchuck  Leggings,  an  old  man,  but  pay  no  attention 
to  him ;  hurry  along. ' ' 

The  young  man  started  early  in  the  morning  and  traveled 
till  sunset  without  meeting  anyone.  Just  at  sunset  he 
heard  a  cry  of  distress.  He  thought,  "I  must  be  careful, 
maybe  that  is  the  man  my  uncle  told  me  about."  Soon 
he  saw  an  old  man  running  around  a  tree,  making  a  great 
fuss,  and  acting  as  though  there  were  coons  or  something 
up  in  the  tree.  When  he  saw  Mink  he  called  out,  "Oh, 
my  dear  nephew,  come  and  help  me  kill  these  white  mar- 
tins." 

The  young  man,  remembering  his  uncle's  words,  went 
along.  The  old  man  ran  after  him,  begging  him  not  to 
leave  him,  to  stop  and  help  kill  the  martins. 

When  the  young  man  was  far  beyond  the  tree,  Wood- 
chuck  Leggings  cried,  "You  needn't  stop,  only  point  an 
arrow  and  shoot,  you  will  kill  a  martin.  Your  arrows 
never  miss." 

Mink  thought,  "It  will  do  no  harm  to  shoot  an  arrow." 
He  shot  and  killed  one  of  the  martins.  Then  Woodchuck 
Leggings  begged  him  to  kill  another;  he  shot  again  and 
hurried  along. 

The  old  man  picked  up  the  martins  and  ran  after  Mink, 
calling  to  him  to  stop  and  take  his  arrows.  Mink  waited 
for  him  to  come  up,  then  Woodchuck  Leggings  said,  "I 
know  where  you  are  going,  I  am  going  there  too,  but  we 
can't  get  there  to-night.  I  have  a  place  where  we  will 
rest  till  daylight." 

The  old  man  walked  fast  and  kept  talking  all  the  time. 
When  it  was  getting  dark,  he  said,  "We  must  wait  till 
morning.    It  wouldn't  do  to  get  there  in  the  night." 


MINK   AND    HIS   UNCLE  385 

Mink  thought  this  might  be  true,  for  his  uncle  had  told 
him  that  he  would  reach  the  place  at  sundown. 

They  gathered  a  pile  of  wood  and  built  a  fire.  Among 
the  pieces  of  wood  was  a  hickory  stick.  The  old  man  said, 
"I  can  whittle  an  arrow  for  myself  out  of  this  while  you 
are  sleeping.  I  will  sit  one  side  of  the  fire  and  you  can 
lie  down  on  the  other  side.  You  can  go  to  sleep  as  soon 
as  you  like,  old  men  sleep  less  than  young  men." 

They  skinned  the  martins  and  cooked  them.  After  eat- 
ing, Mink  took  off  his  clothes  and  lay  down  by  the  fire, 
and  right  away  was  asleep. 

Woodchuck  Leggings  began  whittling.  He  thought, 
" There  is  no  hurry,  I  have  him  now." 

When  he  had  the  hickory  stick  well  sharpened  he  crept 
up  to  steal  the  young  man's  clothes,  but  the  coat,  now  a 
panther,  wouldn't  let  him  come  near.  He  fed  pieces  of 
meat  to  the  beast  till  it  was  pacified.  When  he  reached 
for  the  leggings  two  wild-cats  were  there  and  wouldn't 
let  him  touch  them.  He  pacified  the  cats  as  he  had  the 
panther.  At  last  he  had  the  whole  outfit,  except  the  bow 
and  arrows,  those  he  forgot.  Then  he  went  to  Mink  and 
thrust  the  sharpened  hickory  stick  through  his  backbone. 
Mink  woke  up  but  he  couldn  't  speak  he  was  in  such  agony. 
He  saw  Woodchuck  Leggings  throw  his  dirty  clothing 
down  by  the  fire  and  hurry  off. 

Two  Feathers  knew  when  his  nephew  shot  the  first 
arrow,  for  he  was  watching  the  wampum  and  he  saw  it 
lower.  He  felt  badly;  he  knew  that  Woodchuck  Leggings 
had  deceived  the  young  man. 

When  Woodchuck  Leggings  thrust  the  hickory  stick  into 
Mink's  back,  the  wampum  belt  came  nearly  to  the  ground. 
Two  Feathers  groaned,  threw  ashes  over  his  head,  and 
said,  "I  shall  mourn  for  you  ten  summers." 

He  watched  the  wampum,  repeating  continually,  "I 
shall  mourn  for  you  ten  summers." 

Woodchuck  Leggings  knew  the  power  of  the  clothes  he 
had  stolen  and  as  he  hurried  along  he  smoothed  the  white 
heron  on  the  cap,  and  said,  "You  must  call  out  when  we 
are  near  the  chief's  house."     The  bird  was  silent. 

When  Woodchuck  Leggings  was  near  the  house,  the 
chief's  elder  daughter  ran  out  to  meet  him.     Everyone 


386  SENECA    MYTHS 

wondered  how  she  could  go  to  such  an  old  man.  She  called 
to  her  younger  sister,  and  asked,  "Why  don't  you  speak 
to  our  husband?  We  have  been  at  his  uncle's  cabin,  and 
now  he  has  come  for  us. ' ' 

"That  is  not  the  man  we  went  to,"  said  the  girl,  "I 
will  not  go  into  the  house  while  he  is  there,"  and  taking 
her  blanket  she  went  to  a  hut  in  the  corn-field. 

Woodchuck  Leggings  wanted  to  show  his  power.  He  said 
to  his  wife,  "Ask  your  mother  for  a  deerskin.  I  am  going 
to  smoke  and  I  shall  spit  wampum  beads." 

The  mother  was  pleased  and  she  gave  the  largest  and 
best  deerskin  she  had. 

Woodchuck  Leggings  drew  out  his  pouch,  spotted  like 
a  young  fawn,  and  told  it  to  stand  up,  but  it  fell  down 
and  do  what  he  could  it  wouldn't  stand. 

"Oh,"  said  he,  "it  is  timid,  there  are  so  many  people 
looking  at  it." 

He  took  out  his  pipe  and  told  the  birds  to  get  coals; 
they  didn't  move,  and  everyone  wondered  why  he  talked 
to  dead  things.  He  smoked  and  spat,  but  spittle  it  re- 
mained. After  a  time  he  told  his  wife  to  roll  the  skin  up 
and  put  it  away,  and  when  it  was  unrolled  they  would 
find  wampum. 

The  next  morning  he  went  out  to  show  his  skill  as  a 
hunter.  He  called  deer  but  not  one  came.  At  last  he 
killed  a  small  fox.  While  he  was  skinning  it  the  heron 
on  his  cap  kept  drooping  over.  He  pushed  it  back  till 
its  white  feathers  were  black.  When  he  got  home,  he  told 
his  wife  to  cook  the  fox. 

"It  smells  badly,"  said  she,  but  she  cooked  it  and  as 
soon  as  she  took  the  kettle  from  the  fire  he  began  eating 
the  hot  meat.  Her  brothers  wouldn't  touch  it,  each  one 
said,  "It  smells  badly." 

When  Woodchuck  Leggings  left  Mink  he  was  in  agony, 
but  about  midday  he  crawled  to  where  the  old  man 's  clothes 
were  and,  with  great  effort,  put  them  on,  then  on  his  hands 
and  knees  he  went  towards  the  chief's  house.  He  saw  a 
cornfield  and  thought,  "I  will  go  there  first,  for  I  am 
hungry. '  ! 

He  went  to  the  middle  of  the  field  where  stalks  were 
put  together  for  a  hut.     In  the  hut  was  a  bed  made  of 


MINK   AND    HIS    UNCLE  387 

husks.  After  eating  an  ear  of  corn  Mink  lay  down  on 
the  husks  and  went  to  sleep. 

The  younger  sister  had  gone  for  food  and  was  starting 
back  when  her  father  said,  "Your  sister  is  married  but 
you  are  living  out  in  the  cornfield.     Stay  here!" 

She  stayed  that  night,  but  in  the  morning  she  stole  off 
to  the  hut.  She  found  a  man  sleeping  on  the  husks.  His 
clothes  were  in  rags  and  he  seemed  to  be  in  great  pain, 
but  she  recognized  him  and  when  he  woke  up,  she  said, 
"You  are  the  young  man  my  sister  and  I  went  for,  but 
an  old  man  came  here  for  us  and  my  sister  is  his  wife." 

Mink  told  the  girl  everything  just  as  it  had  happened 
and  showed  her  the  hickory  stick  in  his  back.  She  made 
him  a  soft  bed,  covered  him  with  a  skin  blanket,  and  fed 
and  cared  for  him.  He  made  her  promise  not  to  tell  that 
he  was  there,  for  he  wanted  to  punish  Woodchuck  Leg- 
gings. 

The  next  day  he  said  to  the  girl,  ' '  Tell  your  father  that 
a  man  has  had  a  dream  and  that  he,  as  chief,  must  see 
it  fulfilled.  The  man's  dream  said  that  the  chief's  son-in- 
law  was  to  meet  him  at  a  sweat-house  and  that  all  the 
people  must  be  there  to  witness  the  meeting." 

She  told  her  father  the  dream  and  he  had  a  sweat-house 
built  and  heated.  In  the  house  was  a  great  kettle  of  water 
and  many  red  hot  stones  were  ready  to  throw  into  it. 

The  chief's  ten  sons  and  his  son-in-law  and  all  the  people 
of  the  village  came  to  the  sweat-house.  Soon  they  saw  an 
old  man  coming,  led  along  by  the  chief's  younger  daugh- 
ter. The  girl 's  brothers  were  ashamed  of  her  and  every- 
body wondered  how  a  beautiful  girl  could  care  for  such 
a  wretched  looking,  dirty  old  man. 

"Woodchuck  Leggings  said  to  the  ragged  man,  "Go  into 
the  sweat-house  first." 

"No,"  said  the  ragged  man,  "We  will  take  our  clothes 
off  out  here."  They  stripped  and  went  into  the  sweat- 
house. 

The  hot  flint  stones  were  thrown  into  the  kettle  and  the 
door  was  closed.  Right  away  the  two  men  began  to  sweat. 
Every  minute  Mink  reached  to  his  back  to  see  if  the  hickory 
stick  was  loosening,  and  after  a  time  he  pulled  it  out.  As 
Woodchuck  Leggings  sat  bent  over  Mink  suddenly  thrust 


388  SENECA    MYTHS 

the  hickory  stick  into  his  back,  saying,  "I  have  done  just 
what  I  wanted  to." 

Then  he  went  out  of  the  sweat-house,  picked  up  his  own 
clothes  and  smoothed  them.  The  panther  and  wild-cats 
and  owls  came  to  life.  He  smoothed  his  cap;  the  heron 
screamed  with  joy,  then  everyone  knew  that  he  was  the 
real  owner  of  the  clothes. 

All  this  time  Two  Feathers  was  crying  and  singing, 
"Ten  summers  I  will  mourn  for  him,"  but  once  in  a 
while  he  rubbed  off  the  ashes  and  looked  at  the  wampum. 
One  day  when  he  looked  he  saw  that  the  wampum  had 
gone  up.  Then  he  was  happy  for  he  knew  that  his  nephew 
was  well  again.  He  washed  the  ashes  from  his  face, 
brushed  his  cabin,  made  a  fire  and  began  to  cook  meat. 

The  young  man  dressed  and  went  to  the  chief's  house. 
The  crowd  followed.  They  left  the  old  man  in  the  sweat- 
house.  After  eating,  Mink  sat  down  to  smoke.  He  shook 
his  pouch ;  it  became  a  beautiful  little  fawn,  walked  around 
and  looked  at  everyone,  then  was  a  pouch  again.  He  filled 
his  pipe.  The  birds  flew  and  brought  coals.  He  began 
smoking  and  spitting,  and  he  spat  wampum  beads  which 
rolled  around  everywhere,  and  the  crowd  rushed  to  pick 
them  up. 

Early  the  next  morning  the  young  man  went  to  hunt. 
He  called  deer.  They  came  and  he  killed  one  after  an- 
other till  all  of  his  arrows  were  used.  He  pulled  out  the 
arrows,  cleaned  them,  and  went  back  to  the  chief's  house 
and  told  his  wife  to  send  her  ten  brothers  to  bring  home 
the  deer. 

The  chief  was  astonished  that  so  many  deer  could  be 
killed  near  the  long  house.  He  sent  out  a  runner  to  tell 
people  to  come  with  their  head  straps  and  carry  home  all 
the  meat  they  wanted. 

Each  time  the  young  man  smoked  he  spat  wampum  and 
soon  the  whole  village  had  plenty  of  meat  and  plenty  of 
wampum. 

One  day  when  Mink  was  out  in  the  forest,  he  saw  a 
large  birch  tree  which  he  thought  would  make  good  ladles. 
He  was  cutting  off  a  bough  when  he  heard  somebody  sav, 
"Look  here!" 

He  looked  up  and  saw  two  beautiful  women,  one  called, 


MINK   AND    HIS    UNCLE  389 

"Come  here!  Why  are  you  cutting  off  the  limbs  of  that 
tree?     That  is  an  old  man's  work." 

When  he  paid  no  attention  to  her  she  said  to  her  sister, 
"He  is  a  proud  fellow,  I  shall  have  to  go  to  him.  Come 
along,"  said  she. 

Taking  hold  of  Mink  she  pulled  him  on  to  a  log.  She 
sat  down  on  one  side  of  him  and  her  sister  on  the  other 
side  and  they  began  to  comb  his  hair.  Soon  Mink  was 
sound  asleep,  then  one  of  the  women  took  a  canoe  out  of 
her  pocket  and  stretched  it  till  it  was  large  enough  for 
three  persons  to  sit  in.  When  the  three  were  in  the  canoe 
the  younger  woman  sang,  "Fly,  my  canoe,  fly." 

The  canoe  rose  in  the  air  and  went  toward  the  West. 
After  it  had  gone  a  long  distance  the  women  brought  it 
to  the  ground,  shook  the  young  man,  wakened  him,  and 
asked,  "Do  you  know  this  place?" 

"This  is  the  place  where  my  uncle  and  I  used  to 
hunt." 

"We  must  go  farther,"  said  the  woman,  "As  far  as  our 
ledge  of  rocks."  And  putting  the  young  man  to  sleep 
they  sailed  off  again  toward  the  West. 

When  they  reached  the  rocks  they  took  the  young  man 
out  of  the  canoe  and  put  him  where  if  he  wakened  and 
moved  he  would  fall  off  or  if  he  didn't  move  he  would 
starve  to  death. 

Then  they  sailed  away. 

Two  Feathers  knew  that  his  nephew  was  in  great  danger 
for  the  wampum  came  down  as  before.  He  threw  ashes 
over  his  head  and  face  and  began  to  mourn. 

When  the  young  man  woke  up  he  stretched  his  arms 
and  found  that  he  couldn't  reach  anything.  He  looked 
and  couldn't  see  anything.  He  heard  a  noise  and  thought 
that  some  animal  was  coming  to  devour  him,  but,  after 
listening  a  while  he  knew  that  there  were  men  near  him, 
for  he  heard  a  groan. 

Then  he  thought,  "Those  women  bring  men  here  for 
some  terrible  creature  to  eat."  After  a  while  he  heard 
a  noise  that  sounded  like  crunching  and  he  knew  someone 
had  been  killed.  At  last  the  creature  came  to  him.  It 
was  an  enormous  Head.  It  took  a  bite  from  one  of  his 
legs  and  flew  away  over  the  ledge  of  rocks. 


390  SENECA   MYTHS 

Mink  spat  on  his  hand,  rubbed  his  leg  with  the  saliva 
and  it  was  well  again. 

Just  at  daylight  Mink  heard  a  man's  voice  in  the  dis- 
tance. It  came  nearer  and  nearer  and  soon  he  heard  the 
words,  * '  This  is  what  we,  who  dwell  among  the  rocks,  eat. ' ' 
Looking  up  he  saw  a  man  on  the  cliff  above  him.  The  man 
held  up  a  roasted  squash  and  began  to  blow  the  ashes  off 
from  it.  He  took  a  bite  and  smacked  his  lips  to  torment 
Mink,  who  was  hungry,  then  he  swept  down  between  the 
rocks  and  showed  the  squash  to  men  who  were  starving. 

Mink  lay  on  the  rocks  all  day,  thinking  what  to  do. 
He  got  his  bow  ready  and  when  he  heard  a  great  noise 
and  saw  the  terrible  Head  coming  he  let  an  arrow  fly. 
It  went  straight  through  the  Head  and  the  Head  fell  be- 
tween the  rocks. 

"When  the  Squash  man  came  again  and  looking  down 
said,  "This  is  what  we,  who  dwell  among  the  rocks,  eat," 
Mink  sent  another  arrow  and  the  Squash  man  fell  down 
between  the  rocks. 

Mink  thought,  "I  have  killed  the  Head  and  the  Squash 
man,  now  I  must  get  off  from  this  rock."  He  leaned  over 
the  cliff,  ran  his  fingers  down  his  throat,  and',  trying  very 
hard,  vomited  a  little.  Then  he  began  to  sing,  "Let  a 
great  hemlock  tree  grow  from  that,  Let  a  great  hemlock 
tree  grow  from  that." 

As  he  sang  a  tree  began  to  grow  and  it  grew  till  its 
boughs  were  far  above  the  cliff.  Then  Mink  called,  "My 
friends,  I  have  found  a  way  down.  Creep  along  carefully. 
If  you  find  a  skeleton,  push  it  off. ' ' 

Several  men  crawled  along.  Mink  made  them  go,  one 
at  a  time,  down  the  tree ;  last  of  all  he  went  himself.  As 
he  went  down,  the  tree  decreased.  When  he  reached  the 
ground  it  disappeared. 

He  said  to  the  men,  "Those  of  you  who  know  which 
way  you  came  can  go  home;  those  who  do  not  know  may 
go  home  with  me." 

All  this  time  Two  Feathers  had  been  mourning.  When 
Mink  was  near  the  cabin  a  voice  at  the  door  said,  "I  have 
come  home,  Uncle." 

Two  Feathers  looked  at  the  wampum  belt;  it  had  gone 
up.    He  was  happy,  he  called,  "Wait  a  minute,  my  nephew, 


MINK   AND   HIS   UNCLE  391 

till  I  wash  off  the  ashes. ' '  When  he  opened  the  door  there 
stood  a  Rabbit.  It  made  great  leaps  and  in  an  instant 
was  out  of  reach. 

The  old  man  was  disappointed;  he  scolded  the  Rabbit 
and  shut  the  door.  Soon  he  heard  steps  again  and  a  voice 
called  out,  "1  have  come,  Uncle." 

"That  must  be  my  nephew,"  thought  Two  Feathers, 
and  he  opened  the  door.     It  was  a  Fox. 

"Wretched  animals!"  said  the  old  man,  "I  will  kill  you 
if  you  torment  me  when  I  have  mourned  so  long  for  my 
nephew. ' ' 

He  got  a  strap  and  a  corn  pounder,  then  made  a  hole 
in  the  door  just  large  enough  for  a  man's  hand.  When 
an  animal  came  again  he  was  going  to  kill  it. 

Mink  came  and  when  he  called  out,  the  old  man  said, 
"Now  I  will  catch  you." 

It  was  so  quiet  inside  that  the  young  man  wondered 
what  his  uncle  was  doing,  and  he  called  a  second  time,  ' '  I 
have  come,  Uncle." 

"If  you  have,  put  your  hand  through  the  hole  in  the 
door." 

Mink  put  his  hand  through.  Two  Feathers  caught  hold 
of  it  and  strapped  it  to  the  door,  then  opened  the  door. 
When  he  saw  his  nephew  he  was  overjoyed. 

Mink  told  the  old  man  everything  that  had  happened, 
and  said,  "I  will  get  meat  and  wood  for  you,  then  I  will 
go  for  my  wife." 

The  men  who  had  come  with  Mink  gathered  the  wood 
and  took  care  of  the  game  he  killed.  When  his  uncle  was 
well  supplied,  Mink  went  for  his  wife  and  brought  her 
home. 


THE   FOX  AND   RABBIT 

[Told  by  George  White] 


Characters 


Tondayent White  Babbit 

NonGWATGWA    FOX 


ONE  day  a  hunter  was  going  along  over  a  light,  freshly 
fallen  snow.     His  footsteps  made  no  noise. 

All  at  once  he  saw  a  man  coming  toward  him  and  that 
man  shouted,  "I  am  a  man-eater!" 

The  hunter  ran  for  his  life.  He  circled  around  and 
around  to  escape,  but  the  man  followed  and  was  gaining 
on  him.  When  the  hunter  saw  that  he  was  losing  ground, 
he  took  off  his  moccasins  and  said  to  them,  '  •  Run  ahead  as 
fast  as  you  can."  Then  he  lay  down  and  became  a  dead 
rabbit,  dirty  and  black. 

When  the  man-eater  came  up  and  saw  the  black,  dirty 
old  body  and  the  fresh  tracks  going  on,  he  followed  the 
tracks.  When  he  came  to  the  end  of  the  trail  and  saw 
only  moccasins,  he  was  angry,  and  thought,  "That  fellow 
fooled  me,  the  next  time  I  will  eat  anything  I  see." 

The  man-eater  turned  back  and  sure  enough  the  dead 
rabbit  was  gone.  He  followed  the  tracks  and  soon  came 
upon  a  man  who  sat  rolling  pieces  of  bark,  making  rope. 

He  asked,  "Have  you  seen  a  hunter  pass?" 

No  answer.  He  asked  again  and  pushed  the  rope-maker 
till  he  fell  over,  then  the  rope-maker  said,  "Some  one 
passed  just  now." 

The  man-eater  hurried  away.     The  rope-maker  sprang 

392 


THE    FOX   AND    RABBIT  393 

up,  ran  forward,  made  a  circle  and  was  ahead  of  the  man- 
eater,  then  he  turned  himself  into  an  old  tree  with  dry 
limbs. 

When  the  man-eater  came  to  the  tree,  he  said,  "  Maybe 
he  has  turned  himself  into  a  tree. '  J 

He  punched  the  tree  and  broke  off  a  twig  that  looked 
like  a  nose,  but  it  was  dead  wood. 

"I  don't  think  it  is  he/7  said  the  man-eater,  and  again 
he  followed  the  moccasin  tracks. 

When  he  overtook  the  moccasins  he  said,  ' l  That  tree  was 
the  man  and  he  has  fooled  me  again." 

He  hurried  back  and  when  he  came  to  where  the  tree 
had  been,  it  was  gone,  and  where  he  had  thrown  down  the 
twig  there  was  blood,  then  he  knew  the  tree  was  the  man, 
and  he  followed  the  tracks  that  he  found  there. 

Just  as  the  hunter  saw  that  his  enemy  was  near  he 
chanced  to  come  upon  a  dead  man;  he  pushed  the  body 
on  to  the  trail  and  when  the  man-eater  came  up,  he  said, 
"I  will  eat  him  this  time!  He  won't  fool  me  again,  I'll 
finish  him."  And  he  ate  the  putrid  carcass.  The  hunter 
escaped. 

The  man  with  the  moccasins  was  a  rabbit ;  the  man-eater 
was  a  fox. 


A  WARRIOR  CARED  FOR  BY  WOLVES 


Characters 
Odju 

Ganogwioeo11 


AMONG  the  Senecas  there  was  a  war  chief  named 
Ganogwioeo11.  Once,  with  ten  men,  he  went  on  the 
warpath  to  the  Cherokee  country.  They  found  the  Chero- 
kees  on  the  watch  and  could  do  nothing. 

Then  the  chief  said  to  his  men,  "I'll  go  alone  to  their 
village."  And  after  dark,  leaving  his  men  in  the  woods, 
he  went  to  the  Cherokee  village. 

In  the  first  cabin  he  came  to,  he  found  an  old  woman 
and  her  granddaughter.  They  didn't  see  him.  He  crept 
into  a  little  place  where  they  kept  wood. 

After  dark  the  old  woman  said  to  her  granddaughter, 
"Maybe  Ganogwioeo11  is  around  here.  I'll  shut  the  door," 
and  she  spoke  a  word  of  warning  to  Odju,  her  grand- 
daughter.    The  chief  heard  this. 

After  a  while  the  girl  said,  "It  is  time  to  sleep." 

The  chief  heard  this  also  and  heard  the  girl  going  up 
the  ladder  to  sleep  above,  meanwhile  talking  with  her 
grandmother,  who  was  below. 

The  old  woman  fastened  the  door  of  the  little  wood 
house,  with  bark  strings  and  fastened  the  chief  in,  leaving 
the  door  to  the  cabin  unfastened. 

After  waiting  till  the  old  woman  was  asleep,  the  chief 
went  into  the  cabin.  The  fire  had  burned  down  to  coals 
but  he  could  see  the  ladder  that  the  girl  had  climbed.  He 
went  up.  The  girl  was  not  asleep  and  was  about  to  scream 
when  he  said,  '  *  If  you  scream  I  '11  cut  off  your  head.    The 

394 


CARED    FOR    BY    WOLVES  395 

chief  of  this  village  has  a  daughter.  If  you  will  get  her 
to  come  into  the  woods  with  you  I  will  spare  your  life. ' ' 

Odju  said,  ' '  In  the  morning,  as  soon  as  the  grass  is  dry, 
I  will  go  to  the  chief's  house  and  ask  his  daughter  to  come 
with  me  to  gather  wood." 

Threatening  to  come  back  and  kill  the  girl  if  she  failed 
to  do  as  planned  the  chief  left  the  cabin. 

Early  the  next  morning,  Odju  went  to  the  chief's  house 
and  said  to  his  daughter,  "Come  with  me  and  gather 
wood."     (This  was  the  custom  in  those  days.) 

The  chief's  daughter  was  willing  to  go  and  they  started. 
As  soon  as  they  came  to  the  forest  the  Seneca  sprang  out 
of  his  hiding  place  and  ran  toward  them.  Odju  stood  still, 
but  the  chief's  daughter  screamed  and  ran  toward  home. 
Ganogwioeo"  caught  her,  scalped  her,  and  then,  giving  a 
war  whoop,  ran  away.  Men  rushed  out  of  their  cabins 
and  pursued  him. 

The  Seneca  saw  that  among  the  men  following  him  there 
was  one  good  runner.  He  hid  in  a  ravine  and  when  the 
runner  came  to  the  entrance  of  the  ravine  he  shot  him  with 
an  arrow  and  pulling  off  the  man's  scalp  held  it  up  before 
the  people  who  were  following. 

When  the  Seneca  came  to  a  second  ravine  another  runner 
was  ahead  of  the  rest.  He  aimed  at  the  man,  but  his  bow- 
string broke.  The  pursuer  saw  this  and  rushed  into  the 
ravine.  The  Seneca  ran  swiftly,  but  the  Cherokee  overtook 
and  closed  with  him.  A  second  and  a  third  man  came, 
then  others;  they  bound  Ganoowioeo11,  led  him  to  the 
village  and  summoned  the  people  to  assemble. 

Among  the  Cherokees  there  were  two  women  who  were 
looked  upon  as  the  head  women  of  the  tribe.  Each  woman 
had  two  snakes  tattooed  on  her  lips — the  upper  jaws  of 
the  snakes  were  on  the  woman's  upper  lip,  and  opposite 
each  other,  the  lower  jaws  on  the  lower  lip  in  the  same 
way.  When  the  woman  opened  her  mouth,  the  snakes 
seemed  to  open  theirs. 

These  women  said,  "This  is  the  way  to  torment  him; 
tie  him  near  a  fire  and  burn  the  soles  of  his  feet  till  they 
are  blistered,  then  let  the  water  out  of  the  blisters,  put 
kernels  of  corn  inside  the  skin,  and  chase  him  with  clubs 
till  he  dies." 


396  SENECA    MYTHS 

When  GANOGWiOEOn's  feet  were  blistered,  the  women 
stripped  him  and  tied  a  bark  rope  around  his  waist. 

One  old  man  said,  ''I  want  to  hold  the  rope." 

The  people  stood  in  two  lines  and  at  the  end  of  each 
line  were  many  people.  The  Seneca  had  to  run  between 
the  lines.  He  ran  so  fast  that  he  pulled  the  rope  out  of 
the  old  man's  hand,  then  plunging  to  one  side,  he  broke 
through  the  line  and  ran  with  all  his  strength  toward  the 
place  where  he  had  left  his  men. 

When  running  he  thought  he  was  going  to  die,  for  he 
was  naked  and  unarmed,  far  from  home,  and  his  feet 
were  raw,  but  he  evaded  his  enemies  and,  when  night  came, 
crept  into  a  hollow  log.  In  the  night  he  heard  steps  on 
the  dry  leaves,  and  thought  the  Cherokees  had  discovered 
his  hiding  place. 

Whoever  it  was  came  up  to  the  tree  and  said  to  someone 
who  was  with  him,  "This  man  is  our  friend." 

Then  he  called  to  Ganogwioeo11,  "You  think  that  you 
are  going  to  die,  but  you  will  not.  We  will  take  care  of 
you.     Stick  out  your  feet." 

The  chief  put  out  his  feet  and  right  away  he  felt  some- 
one licking  them. 

After  a  while  one  of  the  strangers  said,  "We  have 
licked  his  feet  enough.  Now  we  must  get  him  warm,  we 
will  go  into  the  tree  and  one  of  us  lie  down  on  each  side 
of  him." 

It  was  very  dark  in  the  hollow  log,  but  the  man  felt 
someone  lie  down  on  either  side  of  him,  and  soon  he  was 
so  warm  and  comfortable  that  he  fell  asleep. 

Just  before  daylight  the  strangers  crept  out  of  the  log 
and  told  the  man  to  stick  out  his  feet.  They  licked  them 
again,  and  then  said,  "We  have  done  all  we  can  now. 
You  will  go  on  till  you  come  to  a  place  where  you  put  a 
piece  of  bark.  Eaise  the  bark  up,  you  will  find  something 
under  it." 

When  the  man  came  out  of  the  log,  he  found  that  his 
feet  were  better,  he  could  walk  comfortably.  At  midday 
he  came  to  four  posts  holding  up  a  bark  roof.  On  the 
ground,  under  the  roof,  was  a  large  piece  of  bark.  He 
raised  the  bark  and  found  a  piece  of  flint,  a  knife  and 
an  awl,  then  he  remembered  that  his  men  had  put  those 


CARED    FOR    BY    WOLVES  397 

things  there  a  couple  of  years  before,  when  on  the  war- 
path.    He  took  them  and  went  on. 

When  it  began  to  grow  dark  he  looked  for  a  hollow 
tree,  found  one  and  crawled  into  it.  In  the  night  he  heard 
steps  on  the  dry  leaves  and  a  voice  said,  "Our  friend  is 
here." 

Then  someone  said,  "Put  your  feet  out." 

He  did  so  and  again  they  were  licked. 

Then  the  stranger  said,  "That  is  enough,  we  will  lie 
near  our  friend  and  keep  him  warm." 

They  went  into  the  tree  and  lay  down,  but  before  day- 
light they  crept  out,  and,  after  licking  the  man's  feet  again, 
said,  "About  midday  you  will  find  food." 

The  man  went  on  till  he  found  a  bear  that  apparently 
had  been  killed  only  a  few  minutes  before;  it  was  still 
warm.  "When  he  had  skinned  the  bear  and  cut  out  some 
of  the  meat,  he  saw,  not  far  away,  a  smouldering  fire,  he 
blew  it  and  it  blazed  up.  He  cut  meat  into  small  pieces 
and  roasted  it  on  sticks.  When  night  came  he  lay  down, 
and  soon  he  heard  steps  on  the  leaves  as  he  had  the  pre- 
ceding nights,  then  a  voice  said,  "Our  friend  is  lying 
down;  he  isn't  going  to  die;  he  has  plenty  to  eat.  We'll 
lick  his  feet." 

When  they  finished,  they  said  to  him,  "Nothing  will 
happen  to  you  now,  you  will  reach  home  in  safety. ' '  And 
they  went  away. 

The  next  morning  the  man,  taking  some  of  the  meat, 
went  on  toward  home.    That  night  his  friends  came  again. 

They  said,  "Your  feet  are  well,  but  you  will  be  cold," 
and  they  lay  down  one  on  each  side  of  him.  Before  day- 
light, when  going  away,  they  said,  "At  midday  you  will 
find  something  to  eat  and  to  wear." 

The  man  traveled  on  till  toward  midday,  then  found 
two  young  bears,  just  killed.  He  skinned  the  bears,  cooked 
some  of  the  meat,  tanned  the  skins  and  lay  down,  very 
tired. 

The  next  morning  he  made  leggings  of  the  skins,  took 
what  meat  he  wanted  and  went  on. 

That  night  the  friends  came  to  him,  and  said,  "To-mor- 
row you  will  find  something  to  wear  on  your  feet." 

About  midday  the  man  came  upon  two  fawns,  just  killed. 


398  SENECA    MYTHS 

He  tanned  the  skins  and  made  moccasins.  When  night 
came,  he  made  a  fire,  cooked  meat,  ate,  and  then  lay  down. 

Soon  he  heard  a  voice  say,  "Our  friend,  yon  will  reach 
home  to-morrow.  Now  we  will  tell  you  why  we  healed 
your  feet  and  cared  for  you.  Always  when  you  have  been 
off  in  the  woods  hunting  and  have  killed  game,  you  have 
given  the  best  part  of  the  animal  to  us,  and  kept  the 
smallest  part  for  yourself;  we  are  thankful.  In  the  morn- 
ing you  will  see  us  and  know  who  we  are." 

When  daylight  came  the  chief  saw  two  men,  as  he 
thought.  As  soon  as  he  stood  up  the  men  took  leave  of  him 
and  started  off.  Wanting  to  see  his  friends  as  long  as  he 
could  he  turned  to  look  at  them  and  in  the  twinkle  of  an 
eye  he  saw  that  one  of  them  was  a  white  and  the  other  a 
black  wolf. 

The  chief  reached  home  as  his  friends,  the  wolves,  said 
he  would. 


DOGS  SAVE  THEIR  MASTER 


THERE  was  a  Seneca,  who  was  very  fond  of  hunting. 
He  had  two  dogs  that  were  so  strong  that  they  could 
kill  a  bear. 

One  winter  this  man  started  off  to  hunt.  After  travel- 
ing two  days  he  camped  and  began  to  look  for  game.  He 
hunted  many  days  and  killed  a  great  many  animals.  One 
night,  just  as  he  was  going  to  sleep,  the  dogs  began  to 
bark  furiously.  Not  far  from  the  camp  was  a  large  elm 
tree  with  the  top  broken  off.  The  man  had  thought  the 
tree  was  hollow,  but  he  had  never  examined  it.  One  of 
the  dogs  now  ran  in  the  direction  of  this  tree,  the  other 
followed  and  by  the  sound  of  the  barking  the  man  knew 
that  some  creature  was  in  the  tree. 

After  a  time  one  of  the  dogs  came  back,  and  said,  "My 
brother,  maybe  we  are  going  to  die  to-night.  On  the  tree 
there  is  such  a  creature  as  we  have  never  seen  before.  I 
will  watch  it,  but  mark  me  with  a  coal,  from  the  end  of 
my  mouth  to  my  ear,  on  each  side." 

The  man  did  as  the  dog  asked,  then  the  dog  said,  "Now 
I  will  go  to  the  tree  and  my  brother  can  come  and  be 
marked." 

He  ran  off  and  soon  the  other  dog  came  and  was  marked, 
then  the  hunter  took  a  torch  and  went  to  the  tree. 

On  the  broken  top  was  a  terrible  creature.  He  could 
see  its  head  and  a  part  of  its  body.  It  had  long  teeth, 
enormous  eyes,  and  huge  claws.  The  man  had  never  seen 
any  animal  so  dreadful.  As  he  went  back  to  camp  one 
of  the  dogs  followed  him,  and  said,  "We  shall  be  killed, 
but  we  will  do  what  we  can  to  save  you.  You  must  hurry 
to  the  village.  Don't  take  a  torch  or  a  bow  with  you; 
they'll  be  in  your  way.  Put  on  a  new  pair  of  moccasins 
and  take  a  second  pair.  I'll  lick  the  soles  of  your  feet  so 
you  can  run  fast." 

The  dog  licked  his  master's  feet,  then  the  man  put  on 

399 


400  SENECA    MYTHS 

new  moccasins  and  started  for  home.  He  had  been  run- 
ning a  good  while  when  one  of  the  dogs  overtook  him,  and 
said,  "Run  faster,  the  creature  has  started.  It  doesn't 
travel  on  the  ground,  but  leaps  from  tree  to  tree.  The 
only  thing  I  can  do  is  to  get  between  the  trees  and  spring 
at  it  as  it  leaps.  When  you  come  to  water,  stir  it  up,  make 
it  as  muddy  as  you  can,  then  drink  of  the  water.  We 
drink  of  such  water;  it  is  better  for  us." 

The  man  soon  got  thirsty.  When  he  came  to  a  spring, 
he  stirred  the  water  up,  then  drank  what  he  wanted  and 
went  on. 

He  hadn't  gone  far  when  the  dog  came  up,  and  said, 
"There  is  a  hole  in  your  moccasin." 

The  man  looked  and  sure  enough  there  was  a  hole. 

"Put  on  new  ones,"  said  the  dog. 

The  dog  licked  his  master's  feet  and  the  man  put  on 
new  moccasins,  then  the  dog  went  back  and  the  man  hur- 
ried on. 

Soon  the  other  dog  ran  up,  and  said,  "The  creature  is 
coming  very  fast,  we  are  afraid  it  will  kill  you.  My 
brother  will  come  to  you  once  more,  but  when  he  gets  back 
he  will  be  killed." 

The  dog  disappeared.  The  man  listened;  both  dogs 
were  barking,  then  one  bark  ceased  and  he  knew  the  dog 
was  coming  to  him. 

"I  have  come,"  said  the  dog,  "to  speak  to  you  once 
more.  When  I  go  back  I  shall  attack  the  creature  and 
do  all  I  can  to  overpower  it,  but  it  will  kill  me." 

The  dog  went  back  and  the  man  heard  both  dogs  bark 
and  howl.  He  knew  by  the  sound  that  they  were  fighting. 
Then  only  one  dog  howled;  the  other  was  dead. 

The  man  tried  to  increase  his  speed,  but  it  was  a  dark 
night  and  he  ran  against  trees  and  brush.  The  barking 
ceased  and  soon  the  dog  was  at  his  side. 

"My  brother  is  dead,"  said  he.  "I  am  alone.  The 
village  isn't  far  away.  You  must  scream.  Someone  may 
hear  you. ' ' 

The  man  began  to  scream  as  he  ran. 

That  night  there  was  a  dance  in  the  long  house  and 
people  were  sitting  around  outside.  A  young  man  heard 
the  cry  of  someone  in  distress  and  he  gave  the  alarm. 


DOGS    SAVE    THEIR    MASTER        401 

The  dog  came  once  more  to  encourage  his  master.  "Do 
your  best,"  said  he,  "You  are  near  the  village.  I  will 
come  once  more,  then  I  will  pull  the  creature  down  and 
fight  it." 

The  man  heard  the  dog  when  it  got  back  and  knew  by 
the  sound  that  the  creature  was  getting  near. 

The  dog  came  again  and  said,  ' '  This  is  the  last  time  you 
will  see  me,  I  shall  attack  the  creature  and  it  will  kill 
me.  If  the  people  hear  your  cries,  they  will  come  and 
rescue  you,  if  not  you  will  be  killed." 

The  dog  went  back;  he  had  only  a  short  distance  to  go. 
The  man  saw  torches ;  his  cries  had  been  heard. 

The  dog  howled  in  distress,  then  all  was  still,  and  the 
man  knew  his  friend  was  dead. 

When  the  man  saw  the  torches,  he  struggled  harder 
and  harder  to  get  to  them.    As  the  people  met  him  he  fell. 

Holding  up  their  torches  the  men  looked  ahead  and 
saw  a  terrible  animal;  its  forelegs  were  longer  than  its 
hind  ones.    They  shot  at  it,  but  it  disappeared. 

In  one  night  the  man  had  made  a  journey  that  required 
two  days.  They  carried  him  to  the  village  and  as  soon 
as  he  could  talk  he  told  what  had  happened.  The  people 
decided  to  go  to  the  camp  in  the  woods  and  bring  home 
the  meat. 

Near  the  village  they  found  the  last  dog;  it  was  torn 
to  pieces.  Farther  on  they  found  the  other  dog,  also  torn 
to  pieces.  When  they  reached  the  camp,  they  saw  that  most 
of  the  meat  had  been  eaten,  what  was  left  they  carried 
home.    The  animal  was  never  seen  again. 


THE  DESEBTED   VILLAGE 


A  GRANDFATHER    and    grandson    lived    together. 
They  were  the  only  persons  left  of  a  large  nation. 
All  their  relatives  and  friends  had  been  killed. 

When  the  boy  was  old  enough,  his  grandfather  made  him 
a  bow  and  arrows  and  taught  him  to  hunt.  He  killed 
small  animals  at  first,  but  after  a  while  he  killed  a  deer. 
Each  time  he  brought'  home  game  his  grandfather  danced 
and  rejoiced,  and  mentioned  the  name  of  the  game. 

The  two  lived  happily  together  till  the  grandson  was  a 
young  man,  then  one  day  his  grandfather  said  to  him, 
''You  are  old  enough  to  marry.  I  would  like  to  have  a 
woman  here  to  cook.  You  must  go  South  and  find  a  wife. 
For  an  ordinary  man  it  is  a  long  journey  but  you  will 
go  quickly,' '  and  giving  his  grandson  a  pair  of  moccasins, 
he  sent  him  off. 

About  midday  the  young  man  came  to  an  opening  in 
the  woods.  In  the  opening  was  a  large  village.  He  went 
from  one  house  to  another;  all  were  empty.  Then  he 
went  to  the  long  house  and  looking  in  saw,  on  a  bench,  the 
body  of  a  young  woman.  The  corpse  was  ornamented  with 
beautiful  beads. 

The  young  man  thought,  "I'll  take  some  of  those  beads, 
they  will  be  nice  for  my  wife,  when  I  find  one." 

He  took  what  beads  he  wanted  and  when  outside,  said 
to  himself,  "I'll  go  home  now  and  look  for  a  wife  some 
other  time." 

He  started  northward,  as  he  thought,  and  ran  along 
swiftly. 

After  a  while  he  came  to  a  clearing  and  to  his  surprise 
found  it  was  the  same  one  he  had  left.  Looking  at  the 
village  and  the  long  house,  he  thought,  ' '  I  must  have  made 
a  mistake." 

He  took  bearings  again  and  hurried  toward  home.  Again 
he  came  out  in  the  village. 

402 


THE    DESERTED    VILLAGE  403 

1 1  It  must  be  that  woman  brings  me  here  because  I  have 
taken  her  beads.    I'll  give  them  back  to  her." 

He  went  to  the  long  house,  put  the  beads  on  to  the  body, 
and  again  started  for  home.  On  the  way  he  killed  a  bear 
and  skinned  it.  Taking  some  of  the  meat  he  rolled  it  up 
in  the  skin,  made  a  pack  and  carried  it  along,  running 
as  fast  as  he  could,  hoping  to  reach  home  before  night. 

At  night  he  came  out  in  the  same  opening. 

"This  is  strange,"  thought  he,  "I'll  have  to  spend  the 
night  in  the  long  house." 

He  kindled  a  fire,  cooked  his  meat,  spread  out  the  bear 
skin  and  sat  down  to  eat.  As  he  ate  he  threw  the  bones 
behind  him ;  soon  he  heard  crunching  and  gnawing. 

"Maybe  a  hungry  ghost  does  that,"  thought  he,  "I'll 
give  it  some  meat." 

He  threw  pieces  of  meat  behind  him  and  heard  them 
eaten. 

After  he  had  eaten  enough,  he  crawled  under  the  bear 
skin  to  sleep.  Soon  something  began  to  pull  the  bear 
skin  from  his  feet.  He  sprang  up,  stirred  the  fire  and 
put  on  more  wood.  All  was  quiet,  and  he  lay  down  again. 
After  a  while,  when  the  fire  had  grown  dim,  something 
crawled  over  his  body,  came  up  to  his  breast.  He  threw 
his  arms  around  the  thing,  wrapped  it  in  the  bearskin  and 
sprang  to  his  feet.  A  terrible  struggle  began.  The  two 
wrestled  from  near  the  fire  to  the  end  of  the  long  house 
and  then  down  along  the  other  side.  When  near  the  place 
they  had  started  from,  the  gray  of  daylight  came.  That 
minute  what  seemed  to  be  a  body,  dropped  to  the  floor  and 
lay  still.  The  young  man  lashed  the  bearskin  around  it 
closely,  left  it  on  the  floor  and  cooked  and  ate  his  breakfast. 

He  was  curious  to  know  what  was  in  the  skin,  for  he 
thought  it  must  be  something  connected  with  the  woman. 
Opening  the  skin  carefully  he  found  only  a  piece  of  clotted 
blood  about  the  size  of  his  fist. 

He  heated  water,  dissolved  the  blood,  and,  with  a  wooden 
ladle  he  whittled  out  with  his  flint  knife,  he  poured  some 
of  the  blood  into  the  woman's  mouth.  It  went  down  her 
throat.  Again  and  again  he  poured.  At  last  the  woman's 
breast  began  to  move.  When  he  had  given  her  half  the 
blood  she  breathed. 


404  SENECA    MYTHS 

When  she  had  taken  it  all,  she  said,  "I  am  hungry.' ' 

The  young  man  pounded  corn,  made  thin  gruel  and  fed 
her.  Soon  she  was  able  to  sit  up  and  in  a  little  while  she 
was  well. 

She  said,  "People  lived  in  this  village  till  a  short  time 
ago.  Many  men  from  the  North  have  wanted  to  marry  me, 
when  I  was  unwilling  and  refused  each  one  of  them,  they 
changed  me  and  drove  my  father  and  all  his  people  away. 
I  was  left  here  for  dead." 

"Come/'  said  the  young  man,  "We  will  go  and  find  your 
father." 

They  set  out  together,  and  after  a  while  came  to  a  village. 
Crow,  with  his  large  family,  lived  in  the  house  at  the  edge 
of  the  village.  When  the  young  man  told  Crow  the  story 
of  the  long  house  and  the  chief's  daughter,  Crow  said,  "My 
chief  is  this  girl's  father.  I'll  tell  him  that  his  daughter  is 
alive." 

Crow  hurried  to  the  chief's  house  and  said  to  the  chief, 
"Your  daughter  is  alive." 

The  mother  screamed,  ' '  You  lie !  no  one  ever  came  to  life 
after  being  dead  more  than  ten  days."  And  taking  up 
a  club  she  started  to  drive  Crow  out  of  the  house. 

"Don't  strike  him,"  said  the  chief,  "Maybe  our  daughter 
has  come  to* life." 

* '  She  has, ' '  said  Crow,  * '  She  is  in  my  house  now. ' ' 

"Tell  her  to  come  here,"  said  the  chief. 

When  the  chief  and  his  wife  saw  their  daughter  they 
were  happy,  and,  as  they  were  willing,  the  young  man 
became  their  son-in-law. 

After  a  few  days  the  man  said  to  his  wife,  "Borrow 
your  father's  bow  and  arrows,  all  the  young  men  in  the 
village  are  to  hunt  to-morrow ;  I  must  go  with  them. ' ' 

Each  man  went  alone,  starting  early.  Crow  met  the 
young  man,  and  said,  "I'll  fly  high  and  look  around,  see 
where  the  deer  are." 

Crow  saw  ten  deer  some  distance  away.  He  came  down 
and  said,  "  I  '11  fly  behind  those  deer  and  drive  them  toward 
you,  you  can  kill  them." 

The  young  man  waited  till  the  deer  passed,  then  when 
all  were  in  line,  he  killed  the  ten  with  one  arrow. 


THE    DESERTED    VILLAGE  405 

Crow  said,  "The  hunters  never  give  me  anything  but 
intestines. ' ' 

"You  may  have  a  whole  deer  to-day,"  said  the  young 
man.  Crow  flew  home  with  the  news,  and  asked,  "What 
are  our  young  men  good  for?  The  chief's  son-in-law  has 
killed  ten  deer  before  sunrise." 

The  other  hunters  had  bad  luck. 

At  night  there  was  a  feast  and  a  dance  in  the  long  house. 

The  hunters  planned  to  kill  the  young  man.  When  in 
the  dance  he  came  to  the  middle  of  the  long  house,  by  their 
magic  they  made  him  sink  deep  into  the  ground,  disappear. 
But  Crow  knew  where  he  was,  and  when  all  were  gone 
he  called  upon  his  friend  Turkey  to  dig  up  the  young  man. 

Turkey  came  and  scratched  till  at  last  he  had  the  dirt 
away,  then  Crow  made  a  rope  and  together  they  drew  the 
young  man  out  of  the  ground. 

The  chief  decided  to  leave  the  enemies  of  his  son-in-law 
and  go  with  the  good  people,  the  friends  of  his  son-in-law, 
to  live  in  the  village  where  the  young  man's  grandfather 
lived. 

They  went  there,  settled  down,  and  lived  happily. 


WAR  BETWEEN  SENECAS  AND 
CHEROKEES 


Characters 


Hatcinondo* 

Haweniyo  Great  Spirit 

Endekha  geqgwa,  Sun   (Orb  of  Day) — The  usual 

word  is  Geqgwa 
Nohnohsot  Heron 


HATCINONDOn  was  a  great  warrior,  the  greatest  of 
all  the  Senecas.  Once,  when  out  with  a  party  of 
warriors,  he  came  to  a  high  cliff  and  knowing  that  the 
Cherokees  were  on  the  lookout  he  told  his  men  to  stay 
where  they  were  and  he  would  go  ahead  and  see  what 
could  be  done.  He  hadn't  gone  far  when  a  party  of 
Cherokees  saw  him  and  started  in  pursuit. 

Hatcinondo11  ran  into  tall  reeds  that  grew  in  two  great 
patches  with  a  narrow  space  between  them.  He  escaped 
from  the  first  patch  and  hid  in  the  second  one.  His 
pursuers  thought  he  was  in  the  first  patch;  they  watched 
the  narrow  space  and  set  fire  to  the  reeds.  When  the 
reeds  were  destroyed  they  expected  to  find  him  dead, 
burned  up. 

Hatcinondo11  fell  asleep  in  his  hiding  place.  In  the 
night  two  men  came,  wakened  him,  and  said,  "  Follow  us, 
we  have  come  for  you." 

He  went  with  the  men  and  after  a  time  one  of  them 
pointed  at  a  house,  and  said,  "Nohnohsot,  the  man  who 
lives  there,  sent  for  you." 

406 


SENECAS  AND   CHEROKEES  407 

He  went  to  the  house,  but  could  find  no  door.  After  a 
while  a  voice  called,  "Come  in!" 

A  door  opened  and  he  went  in  and  saw  a  man,  who  said, 
"I  sent  for  you  and  you  have  come.    Are  you  hungry?" 

Hatcinondo11  smiled  and  said  in  his  mind,  "That's 
a  strange  question.  That's  not  the  way  I  do;  I  give 
food." 

Nohnohsot  laughed,  he  knew  the  man's  thoughts.  He 
brought  out  half  a  loaf  of  acorn  bread,  half  of  a  wild  apple, 
and  half  of  a  pigeon. 

Hatcinondo11  said,  "How  little  will  fill  me." 

"If  you  eat  all  of  this  I  will  give  you  more,"  said 
Nohnohsot. 

As  the  Seneca  ate  he  noticed  that  each  thing  became 
whole  again,  that  he  was  unable  to  finish  either  the  loaf, 
the  apple  or  the  pigeon. 

When  he  had  eaten  all  he  could,  Nohnohsot  said  to  him, 
' '  Now  I  will  talk  with  you. ' ' 

Just  then  the  door  was  thrown  open  and  Sun  came  in 
so  quickly  and  with  such  brightness  that  Hatcinondo11 
had  to  hold  down  his  head. 

Sun  spoke  to  Nohnohsot  and  right  away  hurried  off 
towards  the  East. 

Then  Nohnohsot  said,  "That  is  the  man  you  call  En- 
dekha  geqgwa'  (the  orb  of  day).  It  is  night  down  below 
and  he  is  hurrying  to  the  East.  He  told  me  of  a  great 
battle." 

Nohnohsot  was  Haweniyo  (Great  Spirit),  and  he  said, 
"That  is  what  I  expected  when  I  made  people,  I  thought 
they  would  fight.  Hereafter  when  you  meet  an  enemy 
don't  run  away,  go  up  to  him;  he  can't  harm  you;  no 
arrow  can  kill  you.  I  am  the  cause  of  the  Senecas  not 
fighting  with  the  Cherokees.  You  will  find  your  warriors 
where  you  left  them.  Now  the  HADionYAGEONOn  (Spirits) 
are  ready  to  go  with  you." 

Hatcinondo11  went  out,  passed  through  an  opening,  as 
he  thought,  and  found  himself  in  the  reeds.  He  got  back 
to  his  party  and  told  the  men  what  he  had  seen,  and  they 
all  went  home. 

Soon  after  this  the  Senecas  held  a  council  and  the  war- 
riors decided  to  go  again  to  the  Cherokee  country. 


408  SENECA    MYTHS 

When  the  Senecas  and  Cherokees  met,  Hatcinondo11, 
remembering  what  Nohnohsot  had  told  him,  went  straight 
up  to  a  Cherokee  warrior,  killed  and  scalped  him,  then 
called  out,  "I  have  killed  and  scalped  a  man!  My  name 
is  Hatcinondo11.  ' ' 

After  that  there  was  a  battle  and  many  men  were  killed. 
But  the  Senecas  won  and  went  home  carrying  a  large 
number  of  scalps. 

Another  party  started  off  to  fight  the  Cherokees.  This 
time  Hatcinondo11  was  captured;  he  was  tied  and  led  to 
the  Cherokee  village. 

It  was  a  Cherokee  custom  when  a  man  was  captured  to 
leave  it  to  two  women  to  say  how  he  should  be  tortured. 

The  two  women  decided  that  Hatcinondo11  was  to  be 
bound  to  a  tree  and  burned  to  death. 

They  tied  him  to  a  tree  and  piled  dry  brush  and  wood 
around  him.  He  thought,  "Now  I  am  going  to  die." 
But,  just  as  the  women  were  setting  fire  to  the  brush  a 
terrible  rain  storm  came  and  every  one  ran  for  shelter, 
leaving  the  Seneca  bound  to  the  tree. 

While  he  was  there  alone,  an  old  woman  came  to  him, 
and  said,  "My  Grandson,  you  think  that  you  are  going  to 
die,  but  you  are  not.    Try  to  move.', 

He  moved,  the  thongs  fell  off  and  he  was  free. 

The  woman  said,  l '  I  have  returned  your  kindness.  Once 
when  your  people  were  making  a  circle  of  fire,  you  saw  a 
toad  inside  the  circle,  you  took  it  up  and  put  it  in  your 
bosom  and  when  you  came  to  water  put  it  down.  I  was 
that  toad.  Now  when  I  saw  you  in  trouble  I  brought 
rain  to  save  you.  Go  to  the  river  and  run  with  the 
current." 

When  the  rain  was  over  the  Cherokee  women  came  back 
to  the  tree  and  found  that  their  prisoner  was  gone.  They 
raised  an  alarm,  men  ran  together,  found  tracks,  and 
followed  them. 

When  they  came  to  the  river,  they  lost  the  trail,  and 
after  a  time  they  abandoned  pursuit  and  went  home. 

Two  men  came  and  sat  down  near  Hatcinondo11  's  hiding 
place,  and  one  said  to  the  other,  "It  is  strange  where  that 
man  went." 

The  Seneca  was  afraid  they  would  discover  where  he 


SENECAS  AND   CHEROKEES  409 

was,  but  at  last  they  went  away,  then  he  went  down  the 
stream  some  distance  and  struck  off  toward  the  South. 

Toward  night  he  came  to  an  opening  and  saw  three 
men  building  a  fire.  He  watched  and  listened  till  dark, 
then  crept  up  to  a  place  opposite  the  fire  and  found  that 
the  men  were  asleep;  he  stole  their  weapons  and  pro- 
visions. 

The  next  morning  he  traveled  in  a  circle  till  he  found 
the  trail  by  which  he  and  his  party  had  come.  Soon  he 
saw  men  sitting  around  a  fire,  he  crept  near  and  heard 
Seneca  words,  then  he  called  "Goweh!  Goweh!"  three 
times.    The  men  shouted  with  joy  and  ran  to  meet  him. 

This  is  their  story. 


TURTLE   ON   THE  WAR-PATH 


A  TURTLE  lived  near  a  river.  One  day  he  thought, 
"I  am  lonesome,  I'll  go  on  the  war-path,"  and  get- 
ting into  a  canoe  he  rowed  up  the  river,  singing  "I  am 
on  the  war-path!    I  am  on  the  war-path!" 

When  he  had  gone  a  short  distance,  a  man  came  to  the 
bank,  and  called,  "Friend,  stop  a  minute,  I  will  go  too, 
we  will  go  on  the  war-path  together." 

Turtle  landed.    On  the  bank  stood  Deer. 

Deer  said,  "I  want  to  go  with  you." 

Turtle  answered,  "First,  let  me  see  you  run.  We  may 
get  beaten  and  have  to  run  for  our  lives,  and  unless  we 
can  run  very  fast  we'll  get  scalped  and  killed.  Run  to 
that  mountain  over  there,  and  back." 

Deer  ran  to  the  mountain  and  was  back  in  no  time. 

Turtle  said,  "You  can't  go,  you  don't  run  fast  enough, 
only  fast  runners  can  go  with  me." 

And  Turtle  started  off  in  his  canoe,  singing,  "I  am  on 
the  war-path!    I  am  on  the  war-path!" 

Soon  another  man  came  to  the  bank,  and  called,  ' '  Stop ! 
Come  to  the  bank,  I  want  to  go  on  the  war-path  with  you. ' ' 

Turtle  landed  and  said  to  the  man,  "You  must  let  me 
see  you  run,  I'll  not  take  you  unless  you  can  run  very 
fast.     Run  to  the  second  mountain." 

The  man  was  Skunk.  He  showed  his  strength  and 
started,  but  Turtle  called,  "Come  back,  that  is  enough, 
you  can  go." 

They  got  into  the  canoe  and  started,  Turtle  singing, 
"I  am  on  the  war-path!  I  am  on  the  war-path!  You, 
Brother,  smell  rather  strong." 

Soon  a  man  called  to  them,  "Stop!  you  must  land,  I 
want  to  go  on  the  war-path  with  you." 

This  man  was  Bear.  Turtle  landed  and  told  Bear  to 
run  to  the  mountain.    He  started  off  and  soon  came  back. 

Turtle  said,  "You  won't  do,  you  don't  run  fast  enough 

410 


TURTLE   ON    THE    WAR-PATH        411 

to  suit  me,"  and  lie  pushed  off  again,  singing,  "I  am  on 
the  war-path!  I  am  on  the  war-path!  You,  Brother, 
smell  rather  strong.' ' 

Another  man  called  to  them  from  the  bank ;  they  landed 
and  went  up.  The  man  was  Hedge-hog  and  he  wanted  to 
go  on  the  war-path. 

Turtle  said,  "If  you  are  a  good  runner  I  will  take  you. 
Run  to  that  mountain  over  there. " 

Hedge-hog  turned  and  started  to  run;  his  feet  crossed 
each  other,  he  stumbled  and  nearly  rolled  over.  He  had 
taken  but  a  few  steps  when  Turtle  said,  "Stop!  You'll 
do,  come  down  to  the  canoe." 

The  three  started,  Turtle  singing,  "We  are  on  the  war- 
path! We  are  on  the  war-path!  You,  Brother,  smell 
rather  strong;  You,  Brother,  have  many  arrows  (his 
quills)." 

Now  Elk  called  from  the  bank,  "Stop!  Come  to  land, 
I  want  to  go  on  the  war-path." 

Turtle  landed  and  told  Elk  to  run  to  the  second  moun- 
tain and  back  as  quickly  as  he  could. 

Elk  started,  and  in  a  very  short  time  he  was  back, 
smashing  and  breaking  limbs  and  boughs  as  he  came. 

Turtle  said,  "You  can't  go,"  and  getting  into  the  canoe 
he  started  off,  singing  as  before. 

Soon  a  man  appeared  on  the  bank,  and  called,  "Bring 
up  the  canoe.    I'll  go  with  you." 

"I'll  come  and  see  you  run,"  said  Turtle,  "I  only  take 
fast  runners,  for  something  may  happen  while  we  are 
gone,  we  may  have  to  run  for  our  lives.  Go  to  the  second 
mountain. ' ' 

Rattlesnake  rose  up  to  go. 

' '  Oh,  you  '11  do, ' '  said  Turtle,  * '  You  may  come  with  us. ' ' 

The  four  started,  Turtle  singing,  "We  are  on  the  war- 
path! We  are  on  the  war-path!  You,  Brother,  smell 
rather  strong;  You,  Brother,  have  many  arrows;  You, 
Brother,  have  a  black  face." 

Turtle  was  going  to  make  war  on  the  Seven  Sisters,  and 
their  home  wasn't  far  away.  The  warriors  reached  the 
place  and  pulled  the  canoe  out  of  the  water,  then  Turtle 
said,  "Each  man  must  choose  the  place  he  wants  to  be  in 
when  war  begins." 


412  SENECA    MYTHS 

Skunk  said,  "I  will  be  near  the  fireplace  and  will  attack 
the  first  person  I  see." 

Hedge-hog  said,  "I'll  hide  near  the  house,  in  that  pile 
of  wood,  and  I  will  attack  the  first  person  who  comes 
for  wood." 

Rattlesnake  said  he  would  get  into  the  skin  bucket  where 
they  kept  dried  corn  and  he  would  attack  the  first  one  who 
came  for  corn. 

Turtle  said,  "I'll  station  myself  by  the  spring  and  if 
any  one  comes  for  water,  there  will  be  a  fight." 

Early  in  the  morning  the  mother  of  the  Seven  Sisters 
began  to  build  a  fire.  Skunk  attacked  her,  and  she  fell 
back  almost  dead.    She  couldn't  open  her  eyes. 

When  the  Seven  Sisters  heard  their  mother  scream,  they 
ran  to  her.  They  saw  the  man  and  began  to  fight  with 
him.  All  seven  were  attacked,  but,  getting  clubs,  they 
pounded  Skunk  till  they  killed  him.  They  threw  him  out 
of  doors  then  made  a  fire  and  one  of  the  sisters  went  for 
wood.  When  she  stooped  down  to  pick  up  sticks  she  felt 
a  blow  on  the  arm,  and  looking  found  that  her  arm  was  full 
of  hedge-hog  quills. 

While  the  girl  was  fighting  Hedge-hog  and  screaming, 
her  sisters  came  and  seeing  Hedge-hog  they  picked  up 
pieces  of  wood  and  struck  him  on  the  head  and  back  till 
they  killed  him. 

One  of  the  sisters  wanted  dried  corn  for  breakfast.  She 
went  to  the  bucket  and  put  her  hand  into  it  to  get  the 
corn,  that  minute  she  felt  a  sharp  blow;  she  saw  Rattle- 
snake and  called  to  her  sisters.  They  came,  armed  them- 
selves with  sticks,  and  struck  Rattlesnake  till  they  killed 
him.    But  the  sister  he  had  bitten  was  dead. 

After  a  time  the  old  woman  sent  one  of  her  daughters 
to  get  water.  The  girl  went  to  the  spring  and  as  she 
stooped  over  to  dip  up  the  water,  Turtle  caught  her  by  the 
toe  and  held  on.  She  tried  and  tried,  but  couldn't  get 
him  off;  then  she  walked  backwards  to  the  house  dragging 
him  along. 

The  old  woman  was  so  angry  she  screamed,  l '  Throw  him 
on  the  fire  and  burn  him  up ! " 

Turtle  laughed,   and   said,   "You   couldn't   please  me 


TURTLE    ON    THE    WAR-PATH        413 

more,  I  came  from  Fire  and  I  like  to  be  in  it  better  than 
anywhere  else.'' 

The  woman  changed  her  mind,  and  said,  '  T  '11  carry  him 
to  the  river  and  drown  him. ' ' 

Turtle  cried, ' '  Don 't  do  that !  Don  't  do  that !  I  '11  die. ' ' 
He  begged  hard,  but  no  use,  they  took  him  to  the  river 
and  threw  him  in.  He  sank  to  the  bottom,  but  right  away 
he  rose  in  the  middle  of  the  stream,  held  out  his  hand, 
as  if  showing  scalps,  and  shouted,  "Pm  a  brave  man,  and 
here  is  where  I  live."    Then  he  sank  out  of  sight. 


THE  GREAT  SNAKE  BATTLE 


IN  olden  times  the  Indians  had  a  great  battle  with  snakes, 
and  this  is  how  it  happened :  One  day  when  a  man  was 
hunting  he  saw  a  rattlesnake  and  tormented  it.  He  caught 
the  snake,  made  a  hole  through  its  body  and  putting  a 
bark  string  through  the  hole  fastened  the  snake  to  the 
ground.  Then  he  built  a  fire  and  saying,  ' '  Now  fight  me, ' ' 
he  burned  the  snake  alive.  Afterwards  he  tormented  many 
snakes  in  this  way,  always  challenging  them  to  fight. 

One  day  a  man,  who  was  in  the  woods,  heard  a  great 
noise  and  going  toward  it  saw  a  large  number  of  snakes 
traveling  in  one  direction.  He  listened  and  heard  them 
say,  "We  will  have  a  battle,  Djissaa  (Fire)  has  challenged 
us.    The  battle  will  be  four  days  from  now." 

The  man  hurried  back  to  the  village  and  told  the  people 
what  he  had  seen  and  heard.  The  chief  sent  a  number  of 
men  to  the  place,  and,  as  far  as  they  could  see,  there  were 
snakes,  all  going  in  one  direction.  They  were  going  to  a 
council. 

The  men  went  back  and  told  the  chief.  He  said,  "We 
can't  help  it;  they  will  force  us  to  fight,  we  must  get 
ready. ' ' 

They  drove  two  rows  of  stakes  the  whole  length  of  the 
village,  then,  some  distance  beyond,  piled  up  a  great 
quantity  of  wood  in  long  lines.  On  the  fourth  day  they 
set  fire  to  the  wood. 

When  the  snakes  came,  they  sprang  through  the  fire; 
many  of  them  were  burned,  but  so  many  rushed  into  the 
fire  that  they  put  it  out.  Live  snakes  climbed  over  the 
dead  and  in  spite  of  the  men,  who  were  trying  to  kill  them, 
they  reached  the  second  row  of  stakes  and  again  they  were 
killed  till  the  living  climbed  over  the  dead,  got  above  the 
second  stakes,  and  were  in  the  village.  Then  the  battle 
for  life  began. 

414 


THE    GREAT   SNAKE    BATTLE       415 

The  first  man  killed  was  Djissaa,  the  man  who  had 
challenged  the  snakes.  The  people  fought  till  the  chief, 
seeing  how  many  were  being  killed,  screamed  that  he  sur- 
rendered. 

Then  a  snake,  with  an  enormous  body  and  head,  came 
out  of  the  ground,  and  said,  "lam  chief  of  all  the  snakes, 
we  will  go  away  from  your  village  if  you  will  promise  that 
as  long  as  the  world  lasts  your  people  will  not  injure  or 
torment  my  people. " 

The  chief  promised  and  the  snakes  went  away. 


THE  HUNTER  WHO  BECAME  A  FISH 


TWO  brothers  started  off  to  hunt.  After  they  had 
camped  they  heard  a  peculiar  noise  and  one  of  them 
said,  "I  am  going  to  find  out  what  that  is,"  and  he  fol- 
lowed the  sound.  It  seemed  to  come  from  inside  a  hollow 
tree.  Thinking  there  might  be  a  bear  in  the  tree  the  young 
man  ran  back  to  camp  and  said  to  his  brother, ' '  There  must 
be  a  bear  in  that  tree  over  there,  but  it  makes  a  noise  like 
a  whirl  wind." 

They  went  to  the  tree  and  one  of  them  climbed  up  and 
looked  into  the  hole.  At  first  he  couldn't  see  anything. 
Then,  at  the  bottom  of  the  hole,  he  saw  a  spotted  trout 
jumping  around. 

He  got  the  trout  out  and  threw  it  down  to  his  brother, 
who  said,  "This  is  a  curious  fish.    Let's  take  it  to  camp." 

"Don't  touch  it,"  said  the  other,  "It  might  be  some- 
thing that  will  harm  us." 

But  the  young  man  didn't  listen;  he  took  the  trout  to 
camp,  cleaned  and  ate  it. 

Right  away,  he  said,  "Bring  some  water,  I  am  thirsty." 

Water  was  brought  and  he  drank  and  kept  drinking, 
"Couldn't  drink  enough." 

"I  think  the  fish  is  making  you  sick,"  said  his  brother. 

"Get  more  water,"  was  the  answer.  "Take  my  moc- 
casins and  fill  them." 

When  the  young  man  was  tired  of  bringing  water  he 
said  to  his  brother,  "You  must  go  to  the  spring  where 
you  can  drink  all  the  water  you  want." 

He  went  to  the  spring,  drank  till  he  was  tired,  then 
rested  and  drank  again.  When  the  other  brother  went  to 
the  spring  he  was  frightened;  his  brother's  mouth  was 
like  the  mouth  of  a  fish. 

"Doesn't  your  mouth  feel  strange?"  asked  he. 

416 


THE  HUNTER  WHO  BECAME  A  FISH   417 

The  man  put  up  his  hand  and  then  knew  that  his  mouth 
had  grown  large,  but  he  kept  on  drinking. 

The  next  time  the  young  man  went  to  the  spring  his 
brother  was  half  fish;  fish  to  the  waist,  and  he  was  still 
drinking. 

Later  he  went  to  the  spring  and  found  that  his  brother 
had  become  a  fish  and  gone  into  the  water. 

The  next  morning  when  the  young  man  went  to  the 
spring,  he  saw  a  great  fish  far  under  the  water,  and  the 
spring  had  become  a  pond. 

He  sat  down  on  the  bank  and  soon  the  Fish  rose  to  the 
surface,  and  said,  "My  poor  brother,  go  home  and  tell 
our  father  what  has  happened  to  me.  When  you  want 
fish  come  here  and  get  all  you  need;  this  pond  will 
always  be  full  of  fish." 

The  young  man  went  home  and  told  what  had  taken 
place.  The  people  came  to  the  pond;  the  Fish  rose  to  the 
surface,  and  said,  "I  shall  not  be  a  fish  long,  I  am  going 
to  be  a  Nyagwaihe." 

Soon  the  Fish  changed  to  a  Nyagwaihe  (a  great  bear). 
The  Bear  stayed  around  the  pond  and  of  each  party  that 
came  to  fish,  it  killed  and  ate  one  man.  Nobody  saw  this, 
but  each  party  always  lost  one  of  its  number,  and  people 
began  to  think  that  if  the  Bear  lived  long  it  would  kill 
a  great  many  men. 

A  council  was  called  to  decide  what  to  do,  and  three 
young  men  promised  to  kill  the  Bear.  They  went  to  the 
pond,  but  never  came  back. 

The  Bear's  brother  said,  "I  will  go  to  the  pond,  maybe 
I  can  drive  him  away." 

And  taking  parched  corn  flour  to  eat,  new  moccasins  to 
wear,  and  a  good  bow  and  twelve  arrows  he  went  to  the 
pond  and  camped  on  the  bank. 

That  night  he  dreamed  that  his  brother,  in  the  form  of  a 
man,  came  to  him,  and  asked,  "Why  are  you  here?  I 
can  kill  you." 

And  he  answered,  "I  came  to  drive  you  away,  for  you 
are  doing  a  great  deal  of  harm." 

The  man  said, ' '  I  will  start  at  daylight  and  run.  Follow, 
and  see  if  you  can  overtake  me." 

The  next  morning  the  young  man  went  in  the  direction 


418  SENECA    MYTHS 

the  man  had  indicated,  running  as  fast  as  he  could.  Just 
at  midday  he  saw  bear  tracks,  and  he  called  out,  '  *  Now  I  '11 
overtake  you!" 

He  ran  faster  than  before,  ran  till  dark,  then  camped 
and  built  a  fire.  When  he  opened  his  bundle  of  corn  flour 
it  had  turned  to  ants;  he  had  nothing  to  eat.  The  Bear 
had  done  this  to  deprive  his  brother  of  food. 

While  the  young  man  sat  by  the  fire  thinking,  he  heard 
some  one  approaching;  he  knew  it  was  the  Bear  and  he 
had  drawn  his  bow,  ready  to  aim,  when  the  Bear  called 
out,  "Wait,  brother,  till  I  talk  with  you.  If  you  will  let 
me  go  I  will  start  early  to-morrow  morning,  and  leave 
this  part  of  the  country  forever.' ' 

The  brother  said,  "I  will  let  you  go." 

They  parted  and  the  next  morning  the  young  man  went 
back  to  his  village  and  told  the  people  what  had  happened 
and  said,  "You  can  fish  in  the  lake  as  much  as  you  like; 
no  one  will  trouble  you." 

And  so  it  proved. 


TWO  SENECA  WOMEN  ESCAPE  FROM 
CHEROKEE    CAPTIVITY 


TWO  sisters  were  gathering  wood  not  far  from  home. 
The  elder  sister  had  a  baby  with  her,  a  little  boy. 
A  party  of  Cherokees  captured  them.  When  the  husband 
and  friends  found  that  the  women  had  been  carried  away, 
they  called  a  council,  and  it  was  decided  not  to  pursue 
the  Cherokees  lest  they  might  kill  the  women. 

When  the  sisters  found  that  they  were  near  the  Cherokee 
country,  the  elder  sister,  who  had  a  flint  knife  hidden 
under  her  blanket,  planned  an  escape.  In  the  night,  when 
the  men  were  asleep,  she  found  that  the  ends  of  the  ropes 
binding  herself  and  her  sister  were  on  the  ground  under 
one  of  the  men,  and  she  knew  that  if  she  could  cut  the 
ropes  she  could  free  herself  and  sister.  She  cut  them 
very  cautiously. 

They  were  going  to  leave  the  baby,  but  it  was  about 
to  cry  and  the  mother  said,  "Let  us  die  together,' '  and 
she  took  it. 

They  were  not  far  away  when  some  one  called  out,  ' '  The 
women  are  gone!" 

Then  they  saw  firebrands.  Each  man  had  taken  one 
and  started  in  pursuit. 

The  sisters  went  South,  the  men  went  North,  for  they 
thought  the  women  would  try  to  get  home. 

The  sisters  ran  toward  the  South,  as  they  thought,  till 
they  came  near  a  fire  and  saw  a  man  shaking  a  squash 
rattle  and  singing,  then  they  knew  that  they  were  back 
at  the  place  they  had  started  from. 

The  elder  sister  said,  "We  must  try  again.  When  we 
come  to  the  tree  ahead  we  will  go  to  the  next  one  ahead,  and 

so    On." 

They  traveled  in  this  way  till  morning,  then  took  the 
direction  toward  home.     When  night  came,  they  rested. 

The  next  day  the  sisters  traveled  till  dark,  then  made  a 

419 


420  SENECA    MYTHS 

bed  on  the  ground.  In  the  night  the  younger  sister  heard 
a  voice  say,  "Is  this  where  you  are  resting? " 

* !  It  is, ' '  she  answered. 

Then  the  voice  said,  "Keep  on  and  you'll  come  back  to 
the  place  where  you  were  captured.  No  danger  will  meet 
you.     To-morrow  you'll  find  something  to  eat." 

The  woman  wakened  her  sister  and  told  her  what  the 
voice  had  said. 

The  next  day,  when  the  sun  was  in  the  middle  of  the 
sky,  the  women  came  upon  a  deer  apparently  just  killed. 
They  saw  a  smoke  near  a  log  and  found  a  smouldering 
fire.  They  kindled  the  fire  and  cooked  meat,  ate  a  good 
meal  and  started  on,  carrying  as  much  meat  as  they  were 
able  to. 

They  traveled  a  number  of  days  and  when  the  meat  was 
about  gone  they  saved  what  was  left  for  the  child. 

One  night  a  voice  came  again  to  the  younger  sister,  and 
said,  "You  are  on  the  right  road  and  will  come  to  your 
village  before  many  days;  you'll  find  plenty  of  food." 

She  told  her  sister  what  she  had  heard.  They  walked 
till  nearly  midday,  then  she  said,  "There  is  something 
white  ahead,  what  is  it?" 

It  was  a  patch  of  wild  potatoes.  While  digging  the 
potatoes  the  woman  saw  a  smoke  and  found  a  few  live 
coals.  They  gathered  sticks  and  made  a  fire.  After 
roasting  potatoes  and  eating  a  plenty,  they  started  on, 
each  taking  in  a  bundle  as  many  potatoes  as  they  were 
able  to  carry. 

They  traveled  a  number  of  days  longer;  the  potatoes 
were  almost  gone. 

Then  one  night  the  younger  sister  heard  a  voice  say, 
"You'll  reach  home  to-morrow  at  midday.  The  people 
will  come  together  and  you  will  tell  them  what  has  hap- 
pened and  sing  the  song  Yonto°wisas  (this  song  belongs 
to  women).  You  must  sing,  'We  have  come  home.  We 
are  here ! '  When  you  enter  the  long  house  go  once  around 
it,  and  say,  'We  have  come  home.'  I  want  you  to  know 
that  we  are  the  HADionYAGEONOn,  and  that  we  have  watched 
over  you." 

When  the  woman  wakened  she  told  her  sister  what 
the  voice  had  said. 


ESCAPE  FROM  CHEROKEES  421 

The  next  day,  about  noon,  they  heard  chopping  and 
soon  they  saw  their  uncle,  who  was  out  cutting  blocks 
to  make  ladles. 

They  called  to  him,  " Uncle,  we've  come  home! 

He  looked  at  them,  and  asked,  ''Are  you  living  women?' ' 

"We  are,"  they  answered,  and  then  he  cried  out  he 
was  so  glad.  , 

They  told  the  old  man  what  the  voice  had  said,  and  he 
called  the  people  together.  When  all  were  assembled  in 
the  long  house,  the  sisters  began  to  sing  as  the  voice  had 
told  them  to  do.    This  song  is  still  sung  by  Seneca  women. 

The  narrator  of  this  story  said  the  HADionYAGEONOn 
were  spirits. 


A  DEAD  MAN  SPEAKS  THEOUGH  FIRE 
[Told  by  Henry  Jacob] 


Characters 


Nyagwaihe The  Ancient  of  Bears 

Dzogeo11  The  Little  People 


A  WOMAN  and  her  son  lived  in  one  house,  a  brother 
and  sister  in  another.  The  old  woman's  son  and  the 
brother  looked  alike,  were  the  same  height  and  could 
scarcely  be  told  apart ;  they  were  great  friends. 

The  old  woman's  son  often  visited  the  brother  and 
sister,  but  when  the  brother  found  that  his  friend  thought 
of  marrying  the  sister  when  she  was  old  enough  (she  was 
very  young),  he  was  displeased  and  the  next  time  the 
young  man  came  to  the  house  he  killed  him,  dug  a  hole 
under  the  fireplace,  put  the  body  into  it,  filled  the  hole  with 
earth,  and  built  a  fire. 

The  mother  waited  for  her  son  and  when  he  didn't 
come  she  went  to  the  other  house,  and  asked,  "  Where  is 
my  son?" 

"He  just  started  for  home,  maybe  he  is  in  the  woods; 
he  was  going  to  cut  twigs  for  arrows,"  answered  the 
young  man. 

When  the  woman  started  for  home  he  ran  out,  cut  wood 
quickly,  hurried  to  her  house,  sat  down  and  began  to 
whittle  out  arrows. 

When  she  came  in  he  asked,  "Where  have  you  been, 
mother?" 

422 


A    DEAD    MAN    SPEAKS  423 

"I've  been  at  your  friend's  house. " 

"Well,"  said  he,  "I  am  going  over  there  a  little  while." 

He  put  away  the  arrows,  ran  home,  and  said,  * '  My  sister, 
I  am  afraid  that  we  are  going  to  die.  Hurry  to  the 
spring,  leave  your  pail  there;  run  in  every  direction,  then 
come  back  to  the  house." 

The  girl  went  to  the  spring,  covered  the  ground  with 
tracks  and  came  back. 

Then  the  brother  said,  "I'll  put  you  in  the  head  of  my 
arrow  and  send  you  off." 

He  shook  the  girl  till  she  became  very  small,  then  put 
her  in  the  head  of  his  arrow,  and  said, ' '  I  will  shoot  toward 
the  East;  when  the  arrow  strikes  the  ground,  jump  out 
and  run.     I'll  overtake  you." 

He  shot  the  arrow  up  through  the  smoke-hole.  It  came 
down  on  a  stone  far  off  in  the  East.  The  arrow  burst 
and  the  girl  came  out  and  began  to  run  as  fast  as  she  could. 

The  young  man  ran  around  in  circles;  made  many 
tracks,  then  stood  on  the  top  of  the  house.  There  was  a 
long  line  across  the  sky,  the  trail  the  arrow  had  made. 
He  ran  off  under  this  trail,  came  to  the  spot  where  the 
arrow  struck  the  stone,  then  followed  his  sister's  tracks. 

The  woman  got  tired  of  waiting  for  her  son  and  went 
over  to  see  what  he  was  doing.  The  house  was  empty. 
She  sat  down  by  the  fire,  then  a  voice  spoke  out  of  the 
fire,  and  said,  "My  friend  killed  me!  My  friend  killed 
me!" 

The  woman  dug  down  and  found  her  son's  body.  She 
went  home,  became  a  Nyagwaihe  and  followed  the  girl's 
tracks  to  the  spring;  followed  them  till  she  was  at  the 
house  again.  Then  she  looked  through  the  smoke-hole, 
saw  on  the  sky  the  trail  of  the  arrow,  and  hurrying  out 
ran  toward  the  East. 

The  young  man  overtook  his  sister  before  she  was  far 
from  the  stone,  then  they  ran  on  together.  After  a  time 
they  heard  a  bear  roar.  The  girl  trembled  and  grew 
weak,  but  her  brother  encouraged  her.  At  night  they  lay 
down  by  a  tree  and  slept  a  little. 

The  young  man  dreamed  that  a  woman  came  to  him, 
and  said,  "Here  is  a  stone  to  defend  yourself  with.  To- 
morrow about  midday  throw  this  stone  behind  you  and 


424  SENECA    MYTHS 

say,  'Let  there  be  a  ridge  of  rocks  across  the  world  so 
high  that  nothing  can  climb  over  or  pass  it.'  " 

In  the  morning  the  young  man  saw  at  his  side  the  very 
stone  he  had  seen  in  his  dream.  He  took  the  stone  with 
him. 

Before  midday  they  heard  a  bear  roar.  The  young 
man  threw  the  stone  behind  him  and  that  minute  a  ridge 
of  rocks  stretched  across  the  world.  The  ridge  was  so 
high  that  no  living  creature  could  climb  it. 

The  bear  came  to  the  ridge  and  saw  that  the  tracks 
she  was  following  went  farther.  She  clambered  up  and 
fell  back. 

Howling  terribly,  she  said,  "I'll  overtake  and  eat  them 
both!" 

She  ran  toward  the  North ;  could  find  no  end  or  opening, 
then  she  went  back  and  ran  toward  the  South,  and  finding 
no  opening  went  back  and  lay  down  near  the  tracks. 

The  next  morning  she  found  only  a  small  stone  in  her 
way.     She  ground  it  to  powder  and  went  on. 

The  brother  and  sister  had  gone  far  but  at  midday 
they  heard  the  bear  roar  and  knew  she  was  coming.  They 
reached  a  great  forest ;  the  trees  were  dried  up  and  leafless. 
They  saw  a  house  and  going  in  found  an  old  man  sitting 
by  the  fire. 

They  told  him  their  trouble  and  he  said,  "I  will  help 
you,  but  you  have  another  uncle  not  far  from  here,  he  will 
help  you  more  than  I  can." 

The  old  man  was  chipping  flint,  when  he  had  a  handful 
of  chips  he  flung  it  at  the  trees  and  in  this  way  he  had 
killed  all  the  trees  in  the  forest;  he  had  great  witchcraft. 

The  brother  and  sister  went  on. 

The  old  man  had  a  heap  of  flint  chips  piled  up  near 
him.  When  he  heard  the  bear  coming  he  threw  handful 
after  handful  of  the  chips  at  her,  but  she  didn't  turn 
away. 

She  came  to  the  door,  and  asked,  "Have  you  seen  a 
young  man  and  a  girl?" 

"I  have  not,"  said  he,  "I  pay  no  heed  to  persons  who 
pass." 

The  bear  seized  the  old  man  by  the  head,  crushed  him 
and  killed  him.     Then  she  saw  tracks  and  knowing  that 


A   DEAD    MAN    SPEAKS  425 

the  brother  and  sister  had  gone  ahead,  she  roared  and 
rushed  on. 

When  they  came  to  the  second  uncle,  he  said,  "I  will 
help  you  all  I  can,  but  hurry  on  till  you  come  to  the 
house  of  another  uncle." 

He  made  a  trap  on  the  trail,  near  that  a  second  trap, 
and  then  a  third  one. 

When  the  bear  came,  she  rushed  into  the  first  trap; 
after  a  long  struggle  she  broke  through,  then  got  into 
the  second  trap,  and  only  got  out  of  that  to  fall  into  the 
third  one. 

When  she  got  out  of  the  third  trap  she  went  to  the 
old  man,  and  asked,  "Have  you  seen  a  young  man  and  a 
girl  pass?" 

"I  have  not." 

The  bear  seized  the  old  man  and  tore  him  to  pieces  with 
her  teeth. 

When  the  brother  and  sister  came  to  the  third  uncle, 
he  was  making  a  net.  His  eyes  were  closed  and  his  eyelids 
hung  on  his  cheeks.  When  they  called  to  him  he  didn't 
hear  them;  they  called  again;  he  kept  at  work. 

When  his  nephew  got  a  pounder  and  hit  him  on  the 
head  he  raised  his  eyebrows  and  said,  "I  hear  a  voice." 

"A  great  bear  is  following  us,"  said  the  young  man. 

"I  will  help  you  all  I  can,"  said  the  uncle,  "but  your 
grandfather  lives  in  the  next  house,  run  to  him;  he  can 
help  you  more  than  I  can." 

When  the  bear  was  near,  the  old  man  put  a  long  net  on 
the  trail.  She  was  caught  in  the  net,  but  she  struggled  and 
bit  till  at  last  she  freed  herself. 

Then  going  to  the  old  man  she  asked,  "Have  you  seen 
a  young  man  and  a  girl  pass  this  way?" 

"I  have  not,"  said  he. 

When  the  brother  and  sister  came  to  their  grandfather 's 
house  they  found  Shagodyoweq  (Wind  people)  there. 
These  people  wore  heavy  shells.  When  they  saw  the 
brother  and  sister  they  told  them  to  go  on  till  they  came 
to  the  next  house,  that  the  people  there  were  very  strong, 
possessed  great  witchcraft  and  could  help  them. 

The  bear  came  and  after  a  hard  fight  killed  the  Wind 
people. 


426  SENECA   MYTHS 

When  the  brother  and  sister  reached  the  next  house  an 
old  Dzogeo11  1  woman  sat  in  front  of  it.  She  told  them 
to  go  in,  she  would  kill  the  bear.  She  had  a  great  deal 
of  bear  fat.  She  told  her  three  sons  to  make  two  fires 
on  the  tracks  of  the  brother  and  sister,  put  a  kettle  over 
each  fire  and  fill  the  kettles  with  fat.  When  the  fat  was 
boiling,  the  brothers  gathered  red  willows  and  made 
arrows. 

The  woman  stood  near  the  first  kettle.  The  bear  came 
rushing  along  and  asked,  "Are  the  two  here  whose  tracks 
these  are?" 

"They  are  here,"  said  she,  "They  are  in  the  house." 

The  bear  started  to  go  around  the  kettles,  but  the  woman 
said,  "You  mustn't  go  that  way;  those  who  came  before 
you  went  through  the  fire,  you  must  do  as  they  did." 

The  bear  started;  overturned  the  first  kettle,  got  her 
paws  burned  and  fell  back  growling.  She  made  for  the 
second  kettle,  overturned  that  and  was  burned  still  worse. 
Then  the  boys  killed  her  with  their  red  willow  arrows, 
and  burned  her  bones  to  powder  so  she  couldn't  come  to 
life. 

The  DzoQton  woman  told  the  brother  and  sister  to  stay 
with  her  till  they  were  rested,  then  her  sons  would  go 
home  with  them. 

They  started,  and  the  Dzogeo11  boys  traveled  with  them 
two  days,  then  telling  them  how  to  get  home  they  turned 
back. 

Peter  White  said  the  Bear  woman's  son  had  a  tuft  of 
yellow  hair  hanging  down  his  back  from  the  crown  of  his 
head,  that  when  he  was  killed  by  his  friend,  the  friend 
cut  off  that  tuft  of  hair  and  fastened  it  to  the  top  of  his 
own  head. 

When  the  Bear  woman's  son  was  hunting  he  could  send 
his  arrows  home.  They  would  go  into  the  house  and  to  the 
place  where  they  belonged.  After  the  friend  had  the  tuft 
of  hair  his  arrows  would  go  home  in  the  same  way.  The 
strength  was  in  the  tuft  of  hair. 

i  Very  small  people  who  usually  live  among  rocks. 


THE  FEAST  OF  THE  WHIRLWINDS 


Characzers 


Dzogeoq  The  Little  People 

Nyagwaihe The  Ancient  of  Bears 

DAGWANOEnYENT,  Whirlwind  or  Cyclone,  always  rep- 
resented as  Flying  Heads  (Heads  without  bodies) 


DZOGEOn  and  his  uncle  lived  together  in  the  woods. 
When  the  boy  was  old  enough,  his  uncle  taught  him 
how  to  shoot  and  took  him  out  hunting. 

One  day,  while  the  young  man  was  following  an  elk,  a 
woman  called  to  him,  "Come  here  and  rest;  you  are 
tired." 

At  first  he  paid  no  heed  to  the  woman's  words,  but, 
when  she  called  the  third  time,  he  sat  down  at  her  side. 
She  talked  to  him  and  soon  had  his  head  on  her  lap.  She 
began  to  search  in  his  hair  and  right  away  he  was  asleep. 

When  the  woman  was  satisfied  that  the  young  man 
slept  soundly,  she  put  him  in  a  basket,  put  the  basket 
on  her  back  and  started  off  with  great  swiftness. 

She  traveled  till  sunset,  then  she  stopped,  put  down 
the  basket,  roused  the  young  man,  and  asked,  "Do  you 
know  this  place  f" 

"I  know  it,"  said  he,  "My  uncle  and  I  used  to  hunt 
here." 

They  spent  the  night  there.  The  next  morning  the 
woman  searched  in  DzoGEon's  hair  till  he  fell  asleep,  then 
she  put  him  in  the  basket  and  hurried  on. 

Late  in  the  afternoon  she  stopped  near  a  lake,  put  the 

427 


428  SENECA    MYTHS 

basket  down,  shook  the  young  man  and  asked,  "Do  you 
know  this  lake?" 

"I  know  it,  I  have  been  here  with  my  uncle." 

The  woman  took  out  of  her  basket  a  canoe  no  larger 
than  a  walnut,  struck  it  till  it  became  large,  then  both  sat 
in  it  and  the  woman  paddled  across  the  lake. 

"We  will  go  home  now,"  said  she,  "I  have  a  mother 
and  I  have  three  sisters  married  and  living  in  .my  mother's 
cabin. ' ' 

The  two  traveled  on  till  they  came  to  the  cabin.  When 
they  stood  at  the  door  and  the  mother  saw  a  stranger 
with  her  daughter  she  called  out,  "Welcome,  Son-in-law, 
I  am  glad  you  have  come." 

DzoGifon  became  the  young  woman's  husband  and  they 
lived  on  happily  till  one  night  the  old  woman  had  a 
dream.  She  rolled  on  to  the  floor  and  to  the  edge  of  the 
fire. 

Her  son-in-law  jumped  up  and  asked,  "What  is  the 
matter,  Mother-in-law?    Are  you  dreaming?" 

She  didn't  answer,  but  rolled  around  muttering  to  her- 
self, then  he  said,  "I'll  make  her  talk,"  and  taking  a 
corn  pounder  he  hit  her  a  blow  on  the  head. 

She  stood  up  then,  and  said,  "Oh,  I've  had  a  bad 
dream,  I  dreamed  that  my  son-in-law  killed  Nyagwaihe." 

"I'll  do  that  in  the  morning,"  said  the  young  man, 
"but  go  to  sleep  now." 

The  next  morning  Dzoo£on  killed  the  bear,  without  much 
trouble,  and  carried  it  home. 

That'night  the  old  woman  dreamed  that  her  son-in-law 
must  make  a  feast  for  the  Dagwanoe^ents  (Whirl- 
winds), invite  them  to  it,  and  provide  so  much  food  that 
they  couldn't  eat  it  all. 

The  next  day  Dzogeo11  killed  a  great  many  elks,  deer 
and  bears.  There  was  an  abundance  of  meat;  the  house 
was  full  of  it,  and  still  there  was  more.  Then  the  young 
man  went  out  and  called  to  the  Whirlwinds  to  come  to  a 
feast  prepared  for  them. 

They  answered  quickly  and  all  promised  to  come.  They 
came  in  such  numbers  that  there  wasn't  room  for  them 
on  the  shelves,  the  floor,  or  the  seats.  They  began  to  eat, 
and  they  ate  with  a  terrible  appetite. 


FEAST   OF   THE   WHIRLWINDS      429 

The  mother-in-law  went  around  urging  them,  saying, 
"Eat,  eat  your  fill,  I  want  every  one  to  have  plenty.' ' 

They  ate  and  ate  and  the  old  woman  still  urged,  hoping 
the  supply  would  give  out  and  her  son-in-law  would  be 
killed. 

The  young  man  with  his  wife  and  her  three  sisters  and 
their  husbands  went  for  more  food  in  case  of  need.  The 
Whirlwinds  ate  till  their  jaws  couldn't  move. 

"We  have  enough,  Mother,  enough,"  said  they. 

When  Dzogeo11  heard  these  words  he  motioned  to  the 
walls  and  roof  of  the  cabin,  and  said,  "I  want  your  roof 
and  walls  to  become  stone." 

The  old  woman  and  the  Flying  Heads,1  finding  that 
they  were  in  a  stone  house  and  couldn't  get  out,  flew  around 
in  every  direction.     The  mother-in-law  begged  for  mercy. 

"You  had  no  mercy  on  me,"  said  her  son-in-law. 

Then  he  said,  "I  want  this  house  to  be  red  hot." 

As  the  house  grew  hot  the  heads  flew  about  with  terrible 
speed,  knocking  against  the  walls  and  making  such  a  noise 
as  had  never  been  heard  in  the  world  before.  But  at 
last  all  was  still. 

Then  Dzogeo11  with  his  wife,  her  three  sisters  and  their 
husbands  set  out  for  his  uncle's  cabin.  When  they  reached 
the  lake,  it  was  covered  with  ice,  so  thin  that  it  would 
barely  hold  up  a  small  bird. 

The  young  man  took  eight  puff  balls  from  an  oak  tree, 
made  himself  and  his  friends  small,  and  each  one  entered 
a  puff  ball.  When  the  eight  balls  stood  side  by  side  on 
the  ice  at  the  edge  of  the  lake,  the  young  man  said,  '  '  Let 
the  West  wind  blow ! ' ' 

The  West  wind  came  and  swept  the  balls  over  the  lake. 
Dzogeo11  and  his  friends  sprang  out  of  the  balls,  became 
of  natural  size  and  went  on  their  way  till  they  came  to  the 
uncle's  cabin. 

i  Whirlwind  is  always  represented  as  a  Flying  Head. 


THUNDER  DESTROYS  HORNED  SNAKE 


Characters 


Donodgaes Snake  (Long  horns) 

Hino'   Thunder 


A  MOTHER  and  daughter  lived  in  a  bark  house  on  the 
/"V  edge  of  a  village.  Many  men  wanted  the  girl  for  a 
wife,  for  she  was  nice-looking,  but  to  each  man  she  said, 
"You  are  not  such  a  man  as  I  want." 

One  day  the  girl  and  her  mother  went  to  the  forest  to 
pick  up  wood.  When  it  began  to  grow  dark  they  were 
far  from  home. 

The  mother  said,  "We'll  make  a  fire  and  stay  here  all 
night.'  » 

They  made  a  fire  and  got  ready  for  the  night.  All  at 
once  a  man  stood  near  the  girl,  when  she  looked  up  she 
was  amazed,  he  was  so  handsome.  He  had  a  wampum 
belt  around  his  body  and  long  feathers  in  his  head-dress. 

He  said  to  her,  "I  have  come  to  marry  you." 

Her  mother  was  around  picking  up  wood. 

The  girl  said,  "I  will  tell  my  mother." 

The  young  man  stood  by  the  fire  and  waited  for  the 
girl's  answer. 

When  she  told  her  mother  that  a  stranger  had  come 
and  wanted  to  marry  her,  the  mother  said,  "You  have 
refused  many  good  men,  now  do  as  you  like." 

The  girl  gave  the  man  her  mother's  answer,  and  said, 
"I  will  be  your  wife." 

"You  must  go  home  with  me,"  said  the  man,  and  taking 
off  his  wampum  belt  he  gave  it  to  the  mother,  and  said, 
"This  will  be  a  proof  that  we  are  married." 

430 


THUNDER    DESTROYS    SNAKE       431 

The  woman  hung  the  belt  on  a  tree.  She  was  greatly 
pleased  with  her  new  son-in-law. 

The  two  started  off  together.  They  soon  reached  a 
large  clearing  at  one  end  of  which  was  a  house. 

The  man  said,  "That  is  our  home." 

When  they  went  into  the  house  the  persons  sitting  around 
seemed  to  be  pleased  with  the  young  woman. 

She  was  contented  and  happy  till  one  day  her  husband 
said,  "I  am  going  to  hunt." 

He  went  out  and  as  he  closed  the  door  she  heard  a  strange 
noise,  then  all  was  still. 

Towards  dark  she  heard  the  same  noise.  The  door 
opened  and  a  great  snake  came  in.  It  put  its  head  on 
the  woman's  lap  and  told  her  to  look  for  vermin.  She 
found  bloodsuckers  and  angleworms  as  well  as  insects. 
After  a  while  the  Snake  backed  out  of  the  door;  the  next 
minute  the  husband  came  in  as  handsome  as  ever. 

"Were  you  afraid  of  me?"  asked  he. 

"I  wasn't  afraid,"  said  the  young  woman. 

The  next  day  the  man  went  to  hunt.  When  he  closed 
the  door  the  woman  heard  the  same  kind  of  noise  she  had 
heard  the  day  before.  And  when  she  went  out  to  gather 
wood  she  saw  a  great  snake  sunning  itself  on  the  rocks. 
Then  she  saw  another  and  another  and  she  began  to  be 
very  homesick. 

About  dark  her  husband  came  as  he  had  the  evening 
before. 

The  next  day,  after  he  had  gone,  she  began  to  think 
about  getting  away  from  such  a  terrible  man.  She  went 
for  wood  and  while  standing  in  one  place,  thinking,  she 
heard  a  voice  and  turning  toward  it  saw  an  old  man. 

He  said,  "My  grandchild,  you  are  unfortunate.  The 
man  you  are  living  with  is  a  bad  man.  We  have  often 
tried  to  kill  him,  but  he  is  cautious,  we  can't  catch  him 
There  are  seven  brothers,  your  husband  is  the  youngest' 
their  hearts  are  tied  together  in  a  bunch  and  the  bunch 
is  hidden  under  his  couch.  You  must  get  it;  I  and  my 
friends  will  help  you  all  we  can." 

The  young  woman  found  the  hearts,  hid  them  under 
her  blanket  and  hurrying  out  of  the  house  began  to  run 


432  SENECA    MYTHS 

Soon  she  heard  a  voice  calling,  "Stop!  Come  back!" 
but  she  ran  the  faster. 

The  voice  said,  "You  can't  get  away,  no  matter  how 
you  try." 

Then  strength  seemed  to  leave  her,  but  that  minute  the 
stranger,  who  had  called  her  "grandchild,"  was  at  her 
side. 

"I  will  help  you,"  said  he,  and  taking  hold  of  her 
blanket  he  pulled  her  out  of  the  water.  She  saw  then  that 
she  had  been  in  a  lake.  A  great  black  cloud  was  above 
them  and  Thunder  began  to  shoot  his  arrows.  Soon  the 
woman  saw  that  the  stranger  had  killed  the  terrible  Snake ; 
other  men  like  him  were  on  the  shore  and  they  thanked 
her  and  said  that  she  had  helped  them. 

The  men  drew  the  Snake  out  of  the  lake,  cut  it  into 
pieces,  and  stuck  the  head  on  a  pole.  Seeing  that  the 
eyes  looked  at  the  woman  in  a  sharp,  ugly  way,  the  grand- 
father said,  "You  must  come  home  with  us." 

They  packed  pieces  of  the  Snake  in  separate  bundles, 
then  each  man  took  a  bundle,  and  they  started.  After  a 
while  they  came  to  what  seemed  to  the  woman  to  be  a 
house.  Inside  the  house  was  a  very  old  man.  The  leader 
said  to  him,  "This  young  woman  has  helped  us  kill  the 
great  Snake." 

The  old  man  looked  up,  and  said,  "My  granddaughter, 
I  thank  you." 

All  the  men,  except  the  very  old  man,  hunted,  but  each 
day  they  brought  the  woman  corn  and  squash,  for  she 
couldn't  eat  their  kind  of  food.  They  told  the  names  of 
the  persons  from  whom  they  stole  the  corn  and  squash, 
and  she  knew  those  persons. 

One  day  the  old  man  said  to  the  others,  ' '  Maybe  you  had 
better  take  the  woman  with  you;  she  has  power." 

They  said,  "Very  well,"  and  then  they  told  her  that 
one  of  their  number  was  missing,  and  said,  "On  a  rock 
in  deep  water  is  a  terrible  bloodsucker.  The  man  shot  at 
him,  but  he  wasn't  quick  enough  and  the  bloodsucker 
caught  him.  Our  friend  lies  there  on  the  rock  and  we 
can't  rescue  him  or  kill  the  bloodsucker." 

She  went  with  them  to  the  lake.  When  they  came  to 
where  the  rock  was  she  looked  down  and  saw  the  blood- 


THUNDER  DESTROYS  SNAKE        433 

sucker.  The  men  tried  to  kill  the  bloodsucker  by  going 
up  to  the  clouds  and  shooting  arrows  down  into  the  water. 
When  each  man  had  tried  and  failed  they  asked  the 
woman  to  shoot.  She  shot  once;  the  bloodsucker  moved. 
She  shot  a  second  time;  there  was  a  terrible  struggle  in 
the  water,  then  all  was  quiet. 

Soon  they  saw  that  the  bloodsucker  was  dead  and  their 
friend  was  free.  The  man  came  out  of  the  water  and  they 
all  went  home. 

After  the  woman  had  been  with  these  men  about  a  year, 
Old  Man  Thunder  said,  "It  is  time  for  this  woman  to  go 
to  her  mother/'  and  he  said  to  her,  "For  ten  days  you 
mustn't  do  any  work,  any  pounding  or  chopping.' ' 

The  Thunders  went  with  her  till  she  was  near  home. 
She  thought  they  walked  along  as  ordinary  persons.  When 
they  left  her  she  saw  that  she  was  standing  in  water;  a 
heavy  shower  had  just  passed  over.  Her  mother's  house 
was  close  by. 

For  eight  days  she  refused  to  work,  the  ninth  day  her 
mother  and  friends  urged  her  to  help  them  pound  corn. 
She  said  that  she  couldn't,  but  they  urged  so  hard  that 
she  took  the  pounder  and  struck  one  blow;  the  mortar 
split  apart  and  the  corn  fell  on  the  ground,  such  was  her 
terrible  strength. 


THE  FRIENDSHIP  OF  AN  OTTER 


ONCE,  in  the  fall  of  the  year,  a  chief  and  six  or  eight 
families  went  on  a  hunting  expedition.  For  many 
days  they  found  no  game.  At  last  the  chief,  who  had  as 
a  charm  a  fawn  skin  pouch,  called  the  party  to  his  brush 
house  and  told  each  person  to"  take  hold  of  the  pouch  and 
say  what  animal  he  would  kill  the  next  day. 

The  first  man  said  he  would  kill  a  bear.  The  chief's 
wife  said  she  would  kill  a  wild  goose.  As  the  pouch  was 
passed  from  one  to  another,  the  chief's  daughter  told  her 
husband  not  to  touch  it  and  when  it  came  near  she  grasped 
his  hand  to  keep  him  from  doing  so,  but  he  pulled  it  away 
and  taking  hold  of  the  pouch  said,  "To-morrow,  before 
daylight,  I  will  kill  two  otters/ ' 

At  midnight  he  got  up  and  went  to  where  the  river 
doubled  nearly  around  and  there  he  watched  for  otters. 
Soon  he  saw  two  and  he  killed  both  of  them.  He  was 
hungry  and,  as  it  wasn't  daylight,  he  cut  open  each  otter 
and  took  out  the  heart.  He  roasted  and  ate  the  hearts 
then  went  home.  Unwittingly  he  had  destroyed  the  power 
of  the  charm. 

That  day  each  person  came  home  without  game.  The 
chief's  wife  had  said  she  would  get  a  wild  goose,  but  when 
she  clapped  her  hands  and  called,  "Let  them  fall.  Let 
them  fall,"  they  all  flew  over,  for  the  charm  was  broken. 

The  chief  examined  the  two  otters  and  when  he  saw 
that  the  hearts  had  been  taken  out,  he  was  very  angry. 

The  young  man's  wife  was  frightened.  She  hid  a  piece 
of  meat  and  a  knife,  telling  her  husband  where  he  would 
find  them  in  case  of  need. 

The  chief  said,  "My  son-in-law  has  broken  the  charm, 
we  had  better  kill  him." 

The  daughter  said,  "If  you  kill  him,  kill  me  too." 

The  chief,  who  didn't  want  to  kill  his  daughter,  said, 
"We  will  strip  him  naked,  leave  him,  and  go  far  away." 

434 


FRIENDSHIP    OF   AN    OTTER        435 

They  stripped  the  young  man,  and  went  off,  taking  his 
wife  with  them. 

At  midnight  when  all  alone,  the  young  man  heard  some- 
body coming  on  snowshoes — it  was  Winter.  A  man  pushed 
the  door  open,  and  said,  "You  think  that  you  are  going 
to  die,  ~but  you  are  not,  I  have  come  to  save  you.  To- 
morrow morning  follow  my  tracks  to  a  hollow  tree.  There 
is  a  bear  in  the  tree,  kill  it  and  you  will  have  plenty  of 
meat,  and  the  bear's  skin  will  keep  you  warm,  make  you 
a  blanket  and  moccasins.' ' 

The  next  morning  the  young  man  could  see  no  tracks 
except  rabbit  tracks.  He  followed  them  to  a  hollow  tree 
and  found  a  bear.  He  killed  the  bear,  skinned  it  and 
carried  the  carcass  to  the  house.  Of  the  skin  he  made  a 
blanket  and  moccasins. 

At  midnight  he  again  heard  someone  coming  on  snow- 
shoes. 

Then  a  voice  said,  "Last  night  I  sent  you  help,  to-night 
I  have  come  to  tell  you  that  your  wife  will  be  here  to- 
morrow at  midday.  She  thinks  you  are  dead  and  she  has 
left  her  father's  camp  to  come  and  find  you.  In  the  morn- 
ing send  her  for  her  father  and  the  people  who  are  with 
him,  let  her  say,  'My  husband  has  plenty  of  meat  for  you 
all.'     They  will  be  glad  for  they  have  no  meat." 

At  midday  the  young  woman  came,  and  the  next  morn- 
ing her  husband  sent  her  to  tell  her  father  and  friends 
to  come  to  his  camp. 

That  night  the  stranger  came  to  the  brush  house,  and 
said,  "Your  father  will  be  glad  that  you  have  meat.  He 
will  show  his  charms  and  give  you  your  choice  of  them. 
Take  the  one  he  says  is  of  no  account,  it  is  wrapped  in  a 
piece  of  bear  skin  and  is  my  finger  that  I  lost  when  he 
caught  me  in  a  trap.  He  will  tell  you  to  take  one  of  the 
other  charms,  but  take  that  and  no  other. ' ' 

The  next  morning  the  father-in-law  and  his  people  came 
back.  The  old  chief  unwrapped  his  charms  and  told  his 
son-in-law  to  take  his  choice. 

The  young  man  took  the  one  wrapped  in  bear-skin. 

"Oh,  that  is  of  no  account,"  said  the  chief,  "Here  is 
a  better  one." 

But  the  young  man  said,  "I'll  keep  this  one."     And 


436  SENECA    MYTHS 

he  went  out  to  look  for  the  person  to  whom  the  finger 
belonged.  He  hadn't  gone  far  when  he  saw  a  house  in 
the  middle  of  an  opening  and  in  the  house  he  found  the 
stranger,  who  had  befriended  him  and  he  gave  him  the 
finger. 

The  old  man  thanked  him,  and  said,  "I  will  always 
be  your  friend  and  you  will  succeed  in  everything  you 
undertake.' ' 

As  the  young  man  was  going  home  he  turned  to  look 
at  the  house.  It  had  disappeared  and  what  he  had  thought 
was  a  field  he  now  saw  was  a  lake. 

Ever  after  this  the  young  man  had  good  luck.  He 
became  a  great  hunter  and  when  his  people  made  war 
on  a  neighboring  tribe  he  took  many  scalps.  Whatever 
he  wished  for  he  had.  And  all  this  came  from  the  friend- 
ship of  the  Otter  whose  finger  he  returned. 


HOW  CHIPMUNKS  GOT  THEIR  STRIPES 


Characters 


Dzoho'gwais Chipmunk 

Dasido wanes Big  Feet  (one  name  for  bear) 


A  GRANDMOTHER  and  granddaughter  were  living 
together.  They  had  a  skin  blanket,  but  it  was  old 
and  a  good  deal  of  the  hair  was  worn  off. 

The  two  women  went  to  the  forest  to  camp  and  cut  wood 
and  they  carried  the  blanket  to  cover  themselves  with  at 
night.  They  had  been  in  the  forest  only  a  few  days  when 
they  found  that  their  skin  blanket  was  alive  and  was  angry. 
They  threw  the  blanket  down  and  ran  toward  home  as  fast 
as  they  could  go.  Soon  they  heard  the  skin  following 
them. 

When  it  seemed  very  near  the  grandmother  began  to 
sing  and  her  song  said,  "My  granddaughter  and  I  are 
running  for  our  lives,  My  granddaughter  and  I  are  run- 
ning for  our  lives.' ' 

When  the  song  ended,  the  women  could  scarcely  hear 
the  skin  following  them,  but  not  long  afterward  they  heard 
it  again.  When  they  reached  home  the  skin,  now  a  bear, 
was  so  near  that  as  they  pushed  open  the  door  it  clawed 
at  them  and  scratched  their  backs,  but  they  got  in. 

The  old  woman  and  her  granddaughter  were  chipmunks. 
Since  that  time  Chipmunks  have  stripes  on  their  backs, 
the  result  of  the  scratches  given  by  the  bear. 


437 


CHILD  FED  AND  CAEED  FOR  BY  A 
PORCUPINE  AND  A  BEAR 


A  WIDOWER,  who  had  a  little  son,  married  a  second 
time,  and  soon  after  he  took  his  wife  and  child  and 
went  to  the  forest  to  camp  and  hunt. 

The  three  lived  happily  till  the  woman  began  to  think 
that  her  husband  loved  the  child  better  than  he  did  her. 
This  worried  her  and  made  her  uneasy.  She  could  think 
of  nothing  else,  and  she  began  to  study  how  to  get  rid 
of  the  boy. 

One  day,  while  her  husband  was  hunting,  she  led  the 
child  to  a  cave  in  the  woods,  told  him  there  was  a  bear  in 
the  cave  and  that  he  must  crawl  in  and  scare  it,  make  it 
run  out  at  the  other  end  of  the  opening. 

The  child  crept  in.  The  woman  rolled  a  stone  up,  closed 
the  opening,  and  went  home. 

When  the  man  came  from  hunting,  he  missed  his  boy 
and  asked  where  he  was.  The  woman  said  that  when  she 
went  to  gather  bark  the  child  was  at  play  near  the  house, 
but  when  she  came  back  she  couldn't  find  him,  that  she 
had  hunted  everywhere.  She  was  afraid  he  had  been 
carried  off  by  some  wild  beast. 

The  father  was  nearly  crazy.  He  hunted  many  days 
for  the  child,  but  could  only  find  tracks  made  by  his  little 
moccasins,  tracks  that  the  step-mother  had  made  far  into 
the  woods,  to  mislead  and  deceive  the  father. 

When  the  child  found  that  it  couldn't  get  out  of  the 
cave  it  began  to  scream. 

All  at  once  a  voice  said,  "Poor  child,  stop  crying,  I  am 
your  grandmother.  I  will  give  you  something  to  eat," 
and  a  hand  wiped  away  his  tears.  Then  somebody  brought 
him  food  that  he  thought  was  very  nice,  though  it  was 
only  hemlock  burrs. 

438 


CHILD  FED  BY  ANIMALS  439 

The  woman  in  the  cave  was  a  porcupine  and  she  gave 
the  boy  some  of  the  food  she  had  saved  for  herself.  When 
he  had  eaten  enough  she  said,  "You  are  tired,  my  little 
grandson,  come  and  lie  down. 

In  this  way  the  woman  cared  for  the  child  a  long  time. 
One  day  she  said,  "My  burrs  are  gone.  It  is  Spring 
now,  you'll  not  be  cold  out-of-doors.  Your  step-mother 
fastened  us  in  here,  but  I  can  call  my  neighbors  and  they 
will  let  us  out.  When  we  are  out,  I  must  leave  you  m 
their  care  and  go  to  hunt  for  food." 

She  went  to  the  opening  and  called  for  help.  Soon  the 
boy  heard  a  noise  and  voices  outside  the  cave,  and  after 
a  while  he  heard  a  man  ask,  "Who  can  push  away  this 
atone!" 

The  Bird  people  came  and  pecked  at  the  stone;  they 
could  do  nothing.  Small  animals  scratched  at  the  stone, 
but  it  didn't  move.  One  after  another  tried  and  all  failed. 
At  last  Wolf  said,  "I  can  pull  that  stone  away!  I'm  the 
man  to  do  it." 

He  pushed  his  long  claws  under  the  stone  and  pulled 
and  pulled  till  at  last  his  hold  gave  way  and  he  fell  over 
on  his  back.  / 

Deer,  with  his  long  horns,  tried  to  raise  the  stone.  All 
tried,  each  one  in  his  own  way,  from  the  smallest  to  the 
largest,  except  a  bear  that  sat  off  a  short  distance  with 
three  cubs  playing  near  her. 

When  all  had  failed,  Bear  said,  "I  will  try." 

She  walked  slowly  to  the  stone,  examined  it  and  made 
up  her  mind  how  to  act,  then  she  quickly  moved  the  stone. 
Looking  into  the  cave  she  saw  Porcupine  and  a  little  boy 
and  was  so  frightened  that  she  ran  away  from  the  opening. 
Others  looked  in,  were  frightened  and  ran  till  they  were 
far  enough  away  to  make  sure  of  escape,  then  they  waited 
to  see  what  would  happen. 

Porcupine  came  out  and  called  to  them  not  to  be  afraid, 
and  said,  "We  are  very  poor,  my  grandson  and  I,"  and 
she  told  them  how  the  boy  came  to  be  there  and  that  her 
burrs  were  gone. 

She  said,  "You  are  able  to  care  for  my  grandson  and  I 
want  to  leave  him  with  you. ' ' 

Even  the  Bird  people  said  they  would  care  for  the  child. 


440  SENECA    MYTHS 

"I  must  know  what  you  can  give  him  to  eat,"  said 
Porcupine,  "and  when  I  find  out  which  one  of  you  can 
supply  food  that  my  grandson  can  eat  I  will  give  him  to 
that  one." 

Each  one  brought  a  little  of  the  food  they  could  furnish 
and  put  it  down  before  Porcupine. 

Wolf  brought  what  he  had  to  eat,  Porcupine  looked  at 
it  and  then  asked,  "What  would  you  and  the  boy  do  in 
case  of  danger?" 

"We  would  run." 

"No,"  said  Porcupine,  "My  grandson  can't  go  with 
you;  he  couldn't  run  fast  enough." 

Deer  came  with  food,  but  when  Porcupine  asked,  ' '  What 
would  you  do  in  case  of  danger?"  he  ran  off  so  swiftly 
that  his  horns  could  be  heard  knocking  against  the  trees. 

Last  of  all  Bear  came  forward,  and  said,  "Others  have 
failed  and  though  I  have  a  large  family  of  my  own,  I  will 
take  care  of  the  boy  and  feed  him  as  I  feed  my  cubs;  on 
blackberries,  chestnuts  and  fruit." 

When  asked  what  she  would  do  in  danger  she  went  back 
to  her  cubs,  and  gave  the  sign  of  danger.  The  cubs 
crouched  down  by  a  log  and  the  mother  Bear  lay  down 
near  them  and  watched. 

"This  is  what  I  do,"  said  she.  "We  lie  still  till  the 
danger  is  past.  I  know  where  berries  grow,  I  will  take 
the  boy  there.  I  know  where  my  Winter  quarters  will  be. 
My  cubs  and  your  grandson  will  get  nourishment  by  suck- 
ing my  fat  paws." 

'  i  You  are  the  one  to  care  for  the  child, ' '  said  Porcupine, 
"I  am  going  for  food." 

The  boy  never  saw  Porcupine  again. 

When  Bear  led  him  to  the  berries,  he  thought  she  took 
him  by  the  hand,  as  a  human  being  would. 

The  cubs  became  fond  of  the  boy  and  when  their  mother 
was  lying  asleep  in  the  sun,  they  pulled  his  finger-nails 
to  make  them  long  like  their  own,  and  tried  to  teach  him 
to  climb  trees  as  they  did.  At  last  the  boy  could  almost 
equal  the  cubs  in  climbing  for  his  nails  were  long  and 
sharp. 

One  day  the  mother  Bear  woke  up  and  couldn't  see  the 
boy.     Then,  a  long  way  off,  she  saw  him  high  up  in  a 


CHILD  FED  BY  ANIMALS  441 

tree.  She  scolded  the  cubs,  was  angry  with  them,  and  put 
the  boy's  nails  back  as  they  were  before. 

Summer  passed  and  Winter  came.  Then  the  mother 
Bear  said,  "It  is  time  to  go  to  our  den."  And  she  led 
her  cubs  and  the  boy  to  a  hollow  tree.  The  boy  thought 
there  was  plenty  of  room  in  the  tree;  he  and  the  cubs 
played  together  and  were  happy.  The  mother  Bear  slept 
most  of  the  time,  but  when  there  was  a  noise  she  wakened 
in  an  instant,  and  said,  "Keep  still!  There  is  a  hunter 
around."  There  was  a  crack  in  the  tree  and  they  could 
look  out.  Soon  after  a  warning  they  would  see  a  man 
coming.  Then  the  boy  thought  the  mother  Bear  put  her 
hand  in  her  pocket  and  drew  out  something  that  had  two 
prongs,  put  it  through  the  crack  and  moved  it  to  and  fro 
till  the  hunter  was  out  of  sight,  then  she  drew  it  in. 

All  went  well  till  one  day  towards  Spring  when  they 
heard  a  hunter  coming.  Though  they  all  kept  very  still  the 
mother  Bear  said  to  the  boy,  "I  think  that  our  time  has 
come,  you  can  stay  here,  but  we  must  go.  We  are  bears, 
but  you  are  a  human  being.  The  hunter  will  take  you 
home  and  you  will  be  cared  for." 

The  mother  Bear  put  out  her  two-pronged  bough,  but 
she  could  do  nothing;  all  her  magic  power  was  gone. 

When  the  hunter  came  near  he  saw  claw  marks  in  the 
bark  of  the  tree. 

The  mother  Bear  knew  then  that  the  end  had  come, 
and  she  said  to  her  eldest  cub,  "You  must  go  first,  the 
others  will  follow." 

The  eldest  crawled  out  of  the  tree  and  that  instant  the 
boy  heard  the  whiz  of  an  arrow.  As  he  watched  the  little 
bear  it  semed  to  throw  off  a  pack.  The  pack  fell  to  the 
ground  but  the  little  bear  itself  went  straight  on,  never 
stopping. 

The  other  little  bears  followed  and  each  shared  the  fate 
of  the  first.  Each  time  the  boy  heard  the  whiz  of  an 
arrow  and  saw  the  pack  fall,  but  as  he  saw  his  friends 
still  running  he  wasn't  frightened. 

When  her  children  had  gone,  the  mother  Bear  said  to 
the  boy,  "I  have  to  go,  you  must  be  obedient  and  all  will 
be  well." 

The  boy  heard  a  whiz  and  saw  a  burden  drop  to  the 


442  SENECA    MYTHS 

ground,  but  the  mother  Bear  ran  on  as  her  children  had 
done. 

Now  the  boy  screamed,  for  he  was  alone. 

The  hunter  heard  the  scream  and  was  frightened,  but 
remembering  that  a  child  had  been  lost,  he  set  to  work 
and  soon  had  the  boy  out  of  the  tree. 

The  child  was  naked  and  unable  to  talk.  The  hunter 
skinned  the  bears  and  made  him  clothing.  The  boy  was 
terribly  grieved  but  he  couldn't  speak  to  let  the  hunter 
know  how  dear  the  bears  were  to  him. 

The  hunter  took  the  boy  to  his  father,  who  was  over- 
joyed to  find  his  child,  and  ever  after  took  him  with  him 
wherever  he  went. 


A  BEOTHEE  AND  SISTEE  PUESUED  BY  A 
MAN-EATEE 

[Told  by  Henry  Jacobs] 


A  MAN-EATER  stole  a  little  girl  and  carried  her  to 
his  house  in  the  woods.  There  was  a  partition  in 
the  house.  The  man-eater  stayed  on  one  side  of  the  partition 
and  the  girl  the  other  side.  He  brought  deer  meat  for  the 
girl,  but  he  ate  human  flesh. 

The  girl  had  a  brother  and  he  determined  to  get  her 
away  from  the  man-eater.  When  he  was  ready  to  start, 
his  father  gave  him  a  bow  and  an  arrow,  the  arrow  was 
hollow.  He  gave  him  a  piece  of  flint,  a  pigeon's  feather, 
and  the  tooth  of  a  beaver,  and  said,  "If  you  are  in  great 
danger  throw  the  flint,  the  feather,  or  the  tooth  behind 
you." 

One  day,  when  the  man-eater  was  off  hunting,  the 
brother,  who  had  been  watching  around,  went  to  the  house, 
saw  his  sister  and  told  her  she  must  come  with  him,  but 
they  couldn  't  go  home,  for  if  they  did  the  man-eater  would 
find  and  kill  them.  The  young  man  shook  his  sister  till 
she  was  small. 

Then  he  put  her  in  his  arrow,  and  said,  "The  arrow 
will  strike  a  stone  at  the  end  of  the  world;  it  will  burst 
and  you  will  come  out.  Then  run  toward  the  South  as 
fast  as  you  can.    I'll  overtake  you." 

He  shot  the  arrow,  then  ran  in  increasing  circles  around 
the  man-eater's  house  till  he  came  to  a  tall  hickory  tree. 
He  climbed  the  tree,  made  a  long  leap  toward  the  South, 
came  to  the  ground  and  followed  the  trail  the  arrow  had 
left  in  the  sky. 

When  the  man-eater  came  home  and  found  the  girl  gone, 
he  was  angry,  and  said,  "I'll  find  her,  no  matter  where 
she  is. ' ' 

443 


444  SENECA    MYTHS 

He  changed  himself  into  a  bear,  found  the  young  man's 
tracks  and  followed  them  around  and  around  the  house 
till  he  came  to  where  they  ended.  He  searched  a  long  time 
and  at  last  found  the  place  where  the  young  man  had 
come  down  when  he  sprang  from  the  tree. 

"Now,  I'll  get  you!"  said  the  man-eater,  and  he  was 
glad. 

In  the  form  of  a  bear  he  followed  the  young  man's 
tracks  till  he  came  to  the  stone  where  the  arrow  struck. 
Then  he  followed  farther  till  he  came  to  where  the  brother 
and  sister  met. 

One  day  when  the  two  stopped  to  rest,  they  heard  a 
bear  roar,  and  the  roar  said,  "You  can't  get  away  from 
me!    I'll  find  you,  no  matter  where  you  go." 

The  girl  was  so  frightened  that  she  fell.  The  young 
man  didn't  know  what  to  do,  then  he  remembered  that  he 
had  a  wonderful  pair  of  moccasins  that  belonged  to  his 
mother.  He  took  the  moccasins  out  of  his  pocket,  put  them 
on  the  ground,  and  said,  "Go  West  as  fast  as  you  can." 
He  put  his  sister  in  the  arrow  and  shot  it  off  toward  the 
South,  and  climbing  a  tall  tree  he  sprang  from  it,  landed 
far  away,  and  followed  the  arrow. 

When  the  man-eater  saw  the  moccasin  tracks,  he  thought 
they  were  the  girl's  tracks  and  he  said,  "Now  I'll  over- 
take you!" 

He  ran  west  all  day,  ran  through  swamps  and  across 
rough  places.  Just  at  dark  he  came  to  a  rotten  log  and 
there  he  found  two  moccasins.  He  tore  up  the  moccasins 
and  roaring,  "You'll  not  get  away  from  me!"  he  turned 
and  ran  back,  ran  all  night  and  the  next  day,  came  to 
the  old  track,  then  ran  in  circles  till  he  found  where  the 
young  man  struck  the  ground. 

After  a  long  time  he  came  to  the  stone  where  the  arrow 
burst,  then  to  the  place  where  the  brother  and  sister  met. 
He  had  almost  overtaken  them  when  the  young  man 
thought  of  the  piece  of  flint  his  father  had  given  him.  He 
threw  the  flint  behind  him,  and  said,  "Be  a  rock  across 
the  world!" 

When  the  man-eater  came  to  the  rock,  he  said,  "I  never 
heard  of  a  rock  across  the  world.  I'll  soon  get  around 
this." 


PURSUED    BY   A    MAN-EATER       445 

He  ran  a  long  time,  then,  thinking  that  he  was  going 
in  the  wrong  direction,  turned  and  went  back  to  the  start- 
ing place  and  off  in  the  other  direction.  After'  running 
all  day  and  finding  no  end  to  the  rock,  he  went  back,  a 
second  time,  to  the  starting  place.  A  little  piece  of  flint 
lay  where  the  rock  had  been.  The  man-eater  was  terribly 
angry ;  he  broke  up  the  flint  and  ran  on  faster  than  before. 

Again  the  man-eater,  in  the  form  of  a  bear,  was  getting 
near.  The  girl  was  tired  and  cried,  the  young  man  en- 
couraged her,  told  her  they  had  friends  on  the  road  and 
would  soon  have  help. 

When  the  bear  roared,  '  *  I  '11  have  you  now ! ' '  the  young 
man  threw  the  pigeon  feather  behind  him  with  the  wish 
that  pigeon  droppings  would  block  the  way. 

The  man-eater  came  to  the  deposit  and  couldn't  get 
through.  He  ran  all  day  to  get  around  it,  then,  thinking 
that  he  had  gone  in  the  wrong  direction,  he  went  back  to 
the  starting  place  and  ran  in  the  opposite  direction,  but 
finding  no  end,  came  back  to  the  starting  place  and  lay 
down.  When  he  woke  up,  a  pigeon  feather  was  on  the 
trail;  the  deposit  had  disappeared.  He  was  mad  with 
rage.  He  went  on  swiftly  and  again  was  near  the  brother 
and  sister. 

The  young  man  threw  the  beaver  tooth,  and  said,  "Let 
there  be  a  beaver  swamp  deep  and  wide." 

The  man-eater  came  to  the  swamp  and  tried  to  cross, 
but  couldn't,  saying,  "I  never  heard  of  a  beaver  swamp 
so  long  that  I  couldn't  go  around  it."  He  started  toward 
the  West,  traveled  all  day,  then  went  back  and  off  toward 
the  East,  but  finding  no  end  to  the  swamp  he  returned  to 
the  starting  place  and  lay  down.  When  he  woke  up  the 
swamp  was  gone  and  on  the  trail  was  a  beaver's  tooth. 

The  young  man  thought,  "I've  nothing  more  to  delay 
the  man-eater.  Maybe  we  will  die  now."  But  he  encour- 
aged his  sister  and  they  ran  on  and  soon  came  to  an  open- 
ing. In  the  opening  was  a  house  and  in  the  house  was 
an  old  man.  They  called  him  "Uncle"  and  begged  for 
help. 

"I'll  do  what  I  can,"  said  he,  "but  farther  on  you  have 
another  uncle,  who  will  help  you  more  than  I  can." 

The  old  man  was  a  net-maker.    He  gathered  up  his  nets 


446  SENECA    MYTHS 

and  spread  them  on  the  trail.  When  the  man-eater  came 
he  got  tangled  up  in  the  nets  and  was  a  long  time  freeing 
himself.  He  wanted  to  kill  the  old  man,  but  not  seeing 
him  called  out,  "You  have  made  me  lose  time,  I'll  come 
back  and  kill  you." 

The  brother  and  sister  came  to  a  village,  and  when  the 
chief  heard  the  young  man's  story,  he  rubbed  them  with 
his  hands,  changed  their  looks,  gave  them  different  clothes 
and  told  them  to  stay  with  his  people. 

When  the  man-eater  was  near  the  village,  he  took  his 
own  form  and  going  to  the  chief  said,  "A  young  man  has 
stolen  my  daughter.  I  am  following  him,  but  I  am  tired 
and  want  to  stay  here  and  rest ' ' — he  knew  that  the  brother 
and  sister  were  in  the  village. 

After  a  while  the  man-eater  said,  "I  was  brought  up 
to  have  fun. ' ' 

"We  have  no  time  for  fun,"  said  the  chief,  "We  are 
going  into  the  woods  to  hunt." 

The  young  man  knew  that  the  man-eater  was  looking 
for  tracks,  so  he  went  to  the  edge  of  the  clearing  where 
there  was  a  stump,  put  down  a  pair  of  moccasins,  and  said 
to  them, ' '  Run  all  day  but  come  back  at  night. ' ' 

The  man-eater  saw  the  tracks  and  followed  them. 
Towards  night  the  moccasins  came  to  the  stump,  dropped 
down  and  were  nothing  but  moccasins.  When  the  man- 
eater  came  and  saw  them  he  was  so  mad  that  he  tore  them 
to  pieces  and  tore  up  the  stump. 

The  chief  knew  that  the  man-eater  would  stay  around 
till  he  found  the  brother  and  sister,  so  he  said  to  the  young 
man,  "I  will  help  you  all  I  can." 

He  spat  on  four  pieces  of  bear  skin,  then  gave  them  to 
the  brother  and  sister  to  fasten  on  to  their  feet. 

"Now,"  said  the  chief,  "your  tracks  will  be  like  bear 
tracks.  When  the  man-eater  is  getting  near,  put  your 
sister  in  an  arrow  and  shoot  it  toward  the  West,  then 
spring  from  a  high  tree  and  follow  her.  You  will  come 
to  a  house  where  there  is  an  old  man.  He  will  tell  you 
what  to  do." 

The  man-eater  came  upon  the  bear  tracks  but  didn't 
mind  them.  After  traveling  a  long  distance  and  finding 
no  other  tracks  he  rubbed  his  hand  over  a  track  and  smelt 


PURSUED    BY   A    MAN-EATER       447 

of  it,  then  lie  knew  they  were  the  young  man 's  tracks  and 
he  followed  them  till  he  came  to  where  the  arrow  was 
shot  off,  and  after  hunting  a  while  he  found  where  the 
young  man  came  down  when  he  sprang  from  the  tree. 

The  brother  and  sister  came  to  an  opening  and  saw  ten 
boys  playing  ball.  In  the  middle  of  the  opening  was  a 
house  and  in  the  house  was  an  old  man,  who,  when  he 
heard  the  young  man's  story,  said,  "I  will  help  you  all 
I  can  and  my  boys  will  help  you.  I  know  that  man,  I  am 
older  than  he  is,  but  he  hasn't  as  much  power  as  I  have. 
He  will  come  in  the  form  of  a  bear. ' ' 

When  they  heard  the  bear  coming,  the  boys  threw  up 
their  clubs,  gave  a  war-whoop,  and  ran  forward.  One  hit 
the  bear  a  blow;  the  bear  chased  him.  Then  another  gave 
it  a  blow,  and  it  turned  and  chased  that  one  till  another 
boy  hit  it  a  blow.  This  went  on  till  the  bear  stumbled 
and  fell,  then  the  boys  cut  off  its  head.  They  buried  the 
body  but  made  a  ball  of  the  head. 

The  brother  and  sister  wanted  to  start  for  home,  but 
the  old  man  said,  ' '  Many  people  are  coming  to  play  games. 
You  must  stay  and  see  the  sport." 

Early  the  next  morning  a  crowd  of  people  came.  Their 
leader  said,  "We  have  come  to  play  games.' ' 

"That  is  what  I  like,"  said  the  old  man.  "I  have  ten 
sons  who  will  play  ball  with  you,  but  if  you  want  a  foot 
race,  I'll  run  with  you  myself.  I  am  old,  but  I  can  run. 
Do  you  know  what  we  bet?" 

"We  do.    You  bet  heads." 

"How  many  men  have  you?" 

"Fifty." 

"Well,  we  will  play  ball.  If  you  beat  us,  you  may  cut 
off  my  head  and  the  head  of  each  one  of  my  ten  sons.  If 
we  beat  you,  I'll  have  your  head  and  the  head  of  each  one 
of  your  fifty  men." 

The  old  man  always  carried  his  ball  West.  The  head 
man  of  the  fifty  wanted  to  carry  his  ball  West. 

"No,"  said  the  old  man,  "it  is  my  rule  to  carry  West. 
You  must  go  East." 

They  disputed  a  long  time,  then  the  old  man  brought 
out  a  board,  black  on  one  side  and  red  on  the  other,  and 
said,  "Choose  your  color.     I'll  throw  the  board  up.     If 


448  SENECA    MYTHS 

it  comes  down  your  color,  you  may  carry  the  ball  West; 
if  it  comes  my  color,  1 11  carry  West. ' ' 

The  head  man  chose  black. 

The  board  went  up  out  of  sight.  The  old  man  kept 
saying  in  his  mind,  "Red;  red;  red!"  It  came  down  the 
red  side  up. 

The  old  man  had  a  ball  and  the  head  man  had  one. 
They  quarreled  over  the  balls  but  at  last  agreed  to  play 
twice,  once  with  each  ball. 

They  put  the  old  man's  ball  down;  his  boys  snatched 
it  and  ran  West.  Fifty  men  followed  the  ten,  but  couldn't 
catch  them.  They  came  back,  took  the  head  man's  ball 
and  ran  East.  The  ten  followed  and  the  swiftest  runner 
of  the  ten  snatched  the  ball  and  ran  West  with  it.  The 
old  man  won,  and  the  fifty  with  their  head  man  lost  their 
lives. 

When  the  brother  and  sister  were  ready  to  start,  the 
old  man  said,  "I'll  make  a  trail  for  you.  Look  at  the 
sky  and  you'll  not  get  lost." 

He  took  a  stick  and  made  a  mark  on  the  ground,  then 
he  motioned  and  a  line  came  on  the  sky. 

He  said,  "If  you  lose  the  trail  on  the  ground,  you'll 
see  it  in  the  sky.    Follow  it  and  you  will  get  home." 

The  girl  was  in  a  hurry.  She  said,  "We  can  travel  in 
the  night  as  well  as  in  the  day  time  for  we  can  see  the 
trail  along  the  sky." 

They  traveled  fast  and  were  not  many  days  in  getting 
home. 


A  EACOON  STORY 


AN  uncle  and  nephew  lived  together.  One  day  when 
the  nephew  was  in  the  woods,  hunting,  a  handsome 
young  woman  came  to  the  cabin.  She  had  a  basketful  of 
bread  on  her  shoulders. 

Unstrapping  the  basket  and  putting  it  down  in  front 
of  the  old  man,  she  said,  "Here  is  marriage  bread,  my 
father  and  mother  have  sent  me  here  to  marry  your 
nephew. ' ' 

"Very  well,"  said  the  uncle. 

When  the  young  man  came  home,  his  uncle  said,  "You 
are  married  now." 

"I  am  glad,"  said  the  nephew. 

After  this  the  young  woman  cooked  and  the  men  hunted. 
Each  day  the  nephew  returned  with  a  heavy  load  of  game. 
One  day  while  hunting  he  came  to  a  tree  in  which  there 
was  a  large  hole  and  in  the  hole  was  a  litter  of  coons.  He 
climbed  the  tree  and  threw  one  coon  after  another  on  to 
the  ground. 

All  at  once  he  heard  a  woman  say,  ' '  Come  down.  Come 
down,  you  are  tired,"  then  she  ran  off  through  the  forest. 

When  the  young  man  went  home,  he  told  what  had  hap- 
pened. His  wife  laughed,  but  said  nothing.  Not  long 
after,  when  packing  up  his  game  ready  to  start  for  home, 
a  woman  came  up  behind  him,  took  him  by  the  arm  and 
led  him  to  a  log.  They  sat  down,  she  pulled  his  head  on 
to  her  lap  and  began  to  look  in  his  hair. 

The  man  was  soon  asleep.  The  woman  put  him  in  a 
basket,  put  the  basket  on  her  back  and  went  to  an  island 
in  the  middle  of  a  lake.  Then  she  took  the  man  out  of 
the  basket  and  asked,  "Do  you  know  this  place?" 

"I  know  it.  This  is  where  my  uncle  and  I  used  to  fish," 
and  giving  a  spring  into  the  water  the  man  became  a  bass 
and  escaped. 

449 


450  SENECA    MYTHS 

When  he  went  home,  he  told  his  wife  what  had  happened. 
She  laughed,  but  said  nothing. 

The  man  was  so  frightened  that  he  stayed  at  home  for 
several  days.  Then  the  feeling  wore  away  and  he  started 
off  to  hunt. 

As  he  was  packing  up  his  game  to  go  home  a  woman 
said,  right  there  at  his  side,  ' '  Stop,  wait  a  while,  you  must 
be  tired." 

They  sat  down  on  a  log.  She  drew  his  head  to  her  lap 
and  began  looking  in  his  hair.  He  was  soon  asleep.  Put- 
ting him  into  a  basket  the  woman  carried  him  to  a  great 
ledge  of  rocks  where  there  was  only  a  foothold,  then,  tak- 
ing him  out  of  the  basket,  she  asked,  "Do  you  know  this 
place?" 

"I  will  tell  you  soon,"  said  the  man,  looking  around. 

That  minute  the  woman  disappeared. 

Soon  he  heard  someone  say,  "I  will  fish  a  while." 

A  line  dropped  into  the  water  below  and  a  man  began 
singing  and  pulling  up  fish. 

At  last  he  said, ' '  I  have  enough,  I  '11  rest  and  have  some- 
thing to  eat.  This  is  what  we  people  eat  when  we  are 
among  the  rocks,"  and  he  took  a  baked  squash  out  of  his 
basket. 

The  young  man  said  to  the  rocks,  "Stand  back  a  little 
so  that  I  can  string  my  bow." 

The  rocks  stood  back;  he  strung  his  bow,  and,  saying, 
"Now  boast  again!"  he  shot  the  fisherman. 

He  heard  a  loud  noise  and  looking  in  the  direction  it 
came  from  saw  an  enormous  bat  coming  toward  him.  The 
bat  passed  a  little  to  one  side.  The  young  man  took  a 
hemlock  leaf  from  his  pocket  and  dropping  it  over  the 
rocks,  sang,  "A  tree  must  grow  from  this  hemlock  leaf. 
A  tree  must  grow  from  this  hemlock  leaf." 

Soon  a  tree  came  in  sight.  Then  the  man  talked  to  the 
tree,  said,  "Come  near,  and  have  many  limbs." 

As  the  tree  came  to  a  level  with  the  place  on  the  rocks 
where  the  young  man  was  sitting,  it  stopped  growing. 

He  had  seen  that  along  the  narrow  shelf  of  rocks  there 
were  many  men.  He  called  to  the  nearest  one  to  tell  all 
to  come  and  they  could  escape. 

The  men  crept  up,  one  after  another,  then  went  down 


A    RACOON    STORY  451 

on  the  tree.  When  all  had  reached  the  ground,  the  young 
man  took  a  strawberry  leaf  from  his  pocket  and  dropping 
it  said,  "Grow  and  give  berries."  Then  he  sang,  "Ripen 
berries.  Ripen  berries. "  The  vines  grew,  were  covered 
with  blossoms.  The  blossoms  became  berries  and  the  ber- 
ries ripened. 

When  the  men  had  eaten  as  many  berries  as  they  wanted, 
the  young  man  picked  a  leaf  from  the  vines,  put  it  in  his 
pocket  and  the  vines  and  berries  disappeared.  Then  he 
said  to  the  men,  "Let  us  go  to  our  wife" — meaning  the 
woman  who  had  captured  them. 

When  they  had  traveled  some  distance,  the  young  man 
killed  an  elk.  Taking  the  hide  he  cut  it  into  strings  and 
made  a  baby  board,  but  one  large  enough  for  a  grown 
person.  After  a  while  they  saw  a  house  and  in  front  of 
it  a  woman  pounding  something. 

When  she  saw  them,  she  began  to  scold  and,  holding  up 
the  pounder  was  going  to  strike  them. 

The  young  man  said,  "Let  the  pounder  stop  right 
there!" 

The  pounder  stopped  in  the  air,  half  raised. 

They  seized  the  woman,  strapped  her  to  the  board,  and, 
saying,  "You  must  be  cold,"  they  set  the  board  up  in 
front  of  the  fire.  Just  then  the  young  man's  wife  came 
and,  finding  that  they  were  about  to  roast  the  woman, 
she  was  angry. 

She  freed  her,  and  said,  "You  are  free  now,  and  I  will 
go  home." 

She  went  to  the  lake  and  called  on  Bloodsuckers  to 
stretch  across  the  water.  They  came  and  she  walked  over 
on  them. 

Each  man  went  his  own  way.  When  the  young  man  got 
home  his  wife  was  there. 

The  nephew  and  uncle  were  racoons. 


THE   MOOSE   WOMAN 

A  YOUNG  MAN,  who  lived  alone  with  his  mother,  de- 
cided that  he  would  go  to  the  forest  and  hunt;  that 
he  would  stay  away  a  year,  collect  and  dry  meat,  and  at 
the  end  of  the  year  come  home. 

He  started  and  after  going  a  long  distance,  came  to  a 
region  where  he  thought  there  would  be  plenty  of  game. 
He  built  a  bark  house  and  began  housekeeping.  Each 
morning  he  made  a  fire,  cooked  his  breakfast  and  ate  it, 
then  went  out  to  hunt.  He  stayed  away  all  day  and  when 
he  came  home  at  night,  he  was  often  so  tired  that  he  lay 
down  without  eating.  He  soon  had  a  large  quantity  of 
meat  but  many  times  he  was  hungry. 

One  day,  when  coming  back  from  a  long  tramp,  he  saw 
smoke  rising  from  the  smoke-hole  of  his  cabin.  He  was 
frightened,  for  he  was  sure  the  cabin  was  on  fire.  He 
ran  as  fast  as  he  could,  thinking  he  might  save  some  of 
the  meat  he  had  dried. 

On  going  into  the  cabin  he  was  surprised  to  see  a  fire 
in  the  fireplace  and  his  kettle  hanging  on  the  crook  in 
such  a  way  as  to  keep  its  contents  hot.  He  wondered  who 
had  come  to  cook  for  him.  In  all  the  time  he  had  lived 
in  the  forest  he  had  not  found  a  cabin  or  seen  a  human 
being.  He  saw  that  the  deer  he  had  brought  home  the 
evening  before  was  dressed  and  hung  up  to  dry ;  that  wood 
had  been  brought  in  and  piled  up  near  the  fire ;  that  every- 
thing had  been  put  in  order  and  acorn  bread  made. 

On  the  way  home  he  had  thought  that  he  would  lie  down 
as  soon  as  he  got  to  the  cabin,  but  now  he  was  glad  to  find 
a  warm  meal  awaiting  him.  He  sat  down  and  ate,  think- 
ing, "The  person  who  got  this  ready  will  come  soon,"  but 
no  one  came. 

The  next  morning  he  went  into  the  forest  to  hunt. 
When  on  the  way  home  he  looked  to  see  if  smoke  was  com- 
ing out  of  his  cabin;  it  was,  and  again  food  was  ready. 
Near  the  fire  he  found  a  partly  finished  braid.  Then  he 
knew  that  his  unknown  friend  was  a  woman.  She  had 
put  a  number  of  deer  skins  to  soak  to  make  buckskin.    He 

452 


THE    MOOSE    WOMAN  453 

thought,  ' '  How  kind  she  is, ' '  and  he  made  up  his  mind  to 
see  her,  even  if  he  had  to  stop  hunting. 

In  the  morning  he  started  off,  as  usual,  but  only  went 
to  a  place  in  the  woods  where  he  could  watch  the  cabin. 
Soon  he  saw  smoke  rising  from  the  cabin,  and,  creeping 
back  cautiously,  he  waited  around  till  a  woman  came  out 
for  wood.    When  she  went  in  he  followed  quickly. 

He  saw  that  the  woman  was  young  and  good-looking 
and  he  said  to  her,  "You  have  been  kind  to  me,  I  am 
thankful.' ' 

She  said,  "I  knew  that  you  were  often  hungry  and  I 
came  to  see  if  you  would  let  me  be  your  wife." 

The  young  man  was  glad  that  the  woman  was  willing  to 
stay.  After  that  she  tanned  deer  skins,  dried  meat,  cooked 
for  him,  and  worked  hard  every  day.  She  was  good 
natured  and  kind  and  her  husband  loved  her. 

Before  the  end  of  the  year  a  boy  was  born  and  then 
they  were  perfectly  happy. 

When  the  time  came  that  the  man  had  set  to  go  back 
to  his  mother,  his  wife  said,  ' '  I  know  your  promise  to  your 
mother.  The  time  has  come  for  you  to  go.  I  have  every- 
thing ready,  I  have  made  moccasins  for  you  and  for  your 
mother,  and  there  is  plenty  of  meat." 

"How  can  I  carry  the  meat?"  asked  the  man,  "She 
lives  a  long  way  off." 

"You  have  only  to  select  the  meat  you  want;  I  know 
how  you  can  carry  it." 

She  knew  how  he  came  to  the  forest,  and  that  he  could 
reach  his  village  much  quicker  by  going  in  a  canoe  down 
the  river. 

Early  the  next  morning  she  asked  him  to  go  to  the  river 
with  her — it  was  not  far  from  the  cabin.  When  they  came 
to  the  bank,  she  took  a  tiny  canoe  from  her  bosom.  Her 
husband  wondered  what  she  was  going  to  do  with  such  a 
little  plaything. 

"Take  hold  of  one  end  of  this,"  said  the  woman,  "and 
pull  away  from  me." 

He  did  and  the  little  canoe  stretched  and  stretched  till 
it  was  very  long  and  wide.  They  placed  it  at  the  edge 
of  the  water,  then  brought  basketful  after  basketful  of 
meat  from  the  cabin  and  packed  it  away  in  the  canoe. 


454  SENECA    MYTHS 

When  the  canoe  was  well  loaded  the  woman  gave  her 
husband  a  package,  and  said,  "I  want  you  to  put  on  a 
new  pair  of  moccasins  each  morning  and  throw  away  the 
old  ones." 

Then  she  cautioned  him  not  to  forget  her,  said,  ''When 
people  see  what  a  good  hunter  you  are,  many  women  will 
want  to  marry  you,  but  you  must  be  true  to  me,  if  you 
are  not  you  will  never  see  me  again." 

The  man  promised  to  come  back  in  the  Fall,  and  they 
parted. 

When  he  reached  home,  news  spread  that  such  a  woman 's 
son  had  returned  from  a  year's  hunting  and  had  brought 
a  great  deal  of  meat.  People  came  to  see  him  and  to  look 
at  the  meat.  He  told  no  one,  not  even  his  mother,  that 
he  was  married,  so  many  young  girls  asked  for  him.  His 
mother  had  a  nice  looking  girl  whom  she  liked  and  she 
urged  her  son  to  marry  her,  but  he  refused. 

After  a  while  he  said  to  his  mother,  ' '  I  am  going  to  the 
woods  again.  I  have  a  cabin  there.  Some  time  you  will 
know  why  I  don't  marry  the  girl  you  have  chosen  for 
me." 

When  he  reached  the  river,  he  shook  the  little  canoe, 
as  his  wife  had  told  him  to  do.  It  stretched  out,  but  was 
not  as  large  as  before,  for  he  had  no  meat  to  carry.  He 
sat  in  the  canoe  and  started  up  the  river.  When  near  his 
cabin,  he  saw  his  wife  waiting  for  him  and  his  little  boy 
running  around  at  play. 

The  husband  and  wife  were  very  happy  again.  Another 
year  went  by  and  a  second  boy  was  born  to  them. 

Again  the  woman  got  her  husband  ready  to  carry  meat 
to  his  mother,  she  seemed  to  know  that  this  time  he 
wouldn't  come  back. 

In  parting  she  said  to  him,  "If  you  marry  another 
woman,  you  will  never  see  me  again,  but  if  you  love  me 
and  the  children  you  will  be  true  to  us  and  come  back. 
If  you  are  not  true,  your,  new  wife  will  soon  be  sucking 
her  moccasins  from  hunger,  for  you  will  lose  your  power 
of  killing  game." 

As  before,  the  man's  fame  as  a  hunter  brought  many 
good  looking  girls  to  ask  for  him.  Again  his  mother  urged 
him  to  marry,  but  he  refused  and  was  ready  to  start  for 


THE    MOOSE   WOMAN  455 

his  cabin  in  the  forest  when  a  beautiful  girl  appeared  in 
the  village  and  came  to  his  mother's  house.  His  mother 
urged  him  to  marry  the  girl  and  he  yielded. 

The  wife  in  the  forest  knew  what  had  happened,  and 
she  said  to  her  children,  "My  children,  we  must  go  away 
from  here.    Your  father  doesn't  love  us." 

The  children  were  full  of  play  and  fun  but  they  were 
troubled  by  their  mother's  tears,  for  the  poor  woman  was 
always  crying. 

After  the  man  had  taken  a  second  wife,  the  meat  in  his 
mother's  house  began  to  fall  away  strangely.  He  could 
almost  see  it  disappear.  Though  there  was  a  good  supply 
when  the  woman  came,  in  a  few  days  but  little  was  left. 
He  went  hunting,  but  couldn't  kill  anything,  not  even  a 
rabbit.  He  went  day  after  day ;  always  the  same  luck — 
his  power  was  gone. 

One  day  when  the  man  came  home,  he  found  his  wife 
sucking  her  moccasins,  she  was  so  hungry.  He  cried  and 
sobbed.  "This  is  my  punishment,"  thought  he.  "She 
warned  me  that  this  would  happen  if  I  were  untrue  to 
her."  Right  away  he  decided  to  go  to  his  first  wife  and 
her  children  and  never  leave  them  again;  and  he  started, 
without  saying  a  word  to  his  young  wife  or  his  mother. 

When  he  reached  his  cabin  in  the  forest,  he  found  it 
covered  with  snow,  not  a  single  footprint  was  to  be  seen. 
He  went  in.  The  cabin  was  empty,  but  the  children's 
moccasins  were  there  and  the  sight  of  them  made  the  father 
very  sad.  As  he  was  hungry  he  looked  around  for  food. 
Near  the  fireplace  he  saw  three  little  mounds  of  ashes,  the 
second  smaller  than  the  first,  the  third  smaller  than  the 
second.  He  sat  down  and  wondered  what  the  mounds  could 
mean,  for  he  knew  they  had  been  made  byhis  wife  as  a 
sign  for  him  should  he  ever  come  to  the  cabin. 

At  last  he  made  up  his  mind  that  he  had  three  children, 
and  he  determined  to  find  them. 

"My  boys,"  thought  he,  "are  playful  and  as  they  fol- 
lowed their  mother  they  must  have  hacked  the  trees." 

When  the  mother  and  her  children  were  starting  away, 
the  elder  boy  said,  ' '  We  will  mark  the  trail  so  if  our  father 
ever  thinks  of  us  and  comes  back  he  can  follow  us." 

The  woman  said,  "You  musn't  do  that,  your  father  will 


456  SENECA    MYTHS 

not  come  back.  He  has  another  wife  and  will  never  think 
of  his  children  in  the  forest." 

But,  as  they  traveled  along  and  played  by  the  way,  the 
boys  hacked  trees  and  shot  arrows,  and  now  their  father 
was  able  to  track  them. 

He  found  that  after  a  day's  journey  his  wife  had 
camped.  He  saw  the  ashes  of  a  fire  and  on  a  tree  nearby 
four  pairs  of  moccasins.  He  made  a  bundle  of  the  mocca- 
sins and  the  next  morning  when  he  started  off  he  carried 
the  bundle  on  his  arm. 

Again  he  walked  all  day  and  again  he  found  the  ashes 
of  a  fire  and  found  four  pairs  of  moccasins.  He  was  with- 
out food  and  was  tired,  but  the  next  morning  he  traveled 
on.  Toward  night,  as  before,  he  found  the  ashes  of  a  fire, 
and  found  four  pairs  of  moccasins.  He  always  put  the 
moccasins  in  his  bundle. 

About  noon  the  next  day  he  saw,  in  the  distance,  a 
smoke,  as  from  a  cabin.  He  hurried  on  and  as  he  came 
near  the  cabin  he  saw  two  boys  playing,  running  around 
and  shooting.  They  saw  him  and  went  into  the  cabin  to 
tell  their  mother  that  a  man  was  coming.  She  looked  out, 
recognized  her  husband,  and  told  the  boys  to  stay  inside 
and  keep  away  from  the  man. 

The  man  didn't  know  that  the  children  were  his  own. 
He  supposed  they  belonged  to  some  one  who  lived  in  the 
cabin.  As  he  was  hungry  he  decided  to  go  in  and  ask  for 
food.  As  he  entered  the  woman  turned  her  back  but  the 
elder  boy  knew  his  father  and  running  to  him  put  his  hand 
on  his  knee.  The  father  didn't  recognize  the  child  so  he 
gently  pushed  his  hand  away.  The  woman  turned  and 
saw  the  act. 

" There,"  said  she,  "I  told  you  to  keep  away  from  him, 
that  he  didn't  love  you." 

Now  the  man  recognized  his  wife  and  he  begged  her  to 
forgive  him.  He  was  so  earnest  and  begged  so  hard  that 
the  woman  forgave  him  and  brought  to  him  his  little  daugh- 
ter whom  he  had  never  seen. 

Ever  afterward  the  man  was  true  to  his  wife,  who, 
though  she  looked  exactly  like  a  woman,  was  of  the  Moose 
family.  He  never  again  left  his  home  in  the  forest,  and 
he  and  his  family  were  happy. 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  GANYAGE  GOWA 


Characters 


Ganyage  gowa Diver  (A  Duck) 

Hongak Canada  Goose 

Dzainos  gowa Blue  Lizard 

Di'sdis   Woodpecker 

Dagwanoe^ent  . .  Cyclone  or  Whirlwind  (Big  Head) 

Dzothawendo11  Humming  Bird 

Gasyondetha   Meteor 

Djeonyaik  Robin 

Dadahwat   White  Beaver 

Hani  sheono11 Muck-worm 

ONOQGOnT  gowa Bumble  Bee 

Ganeditha Corn  Beetle 

Genodskwa Stone  Coats  (Cold  and  Frost) 

Gwi'yee The  Phebe  Bird 

Skada'gea In-the-Mist  (A  Bird) 

Geha Wind 

Nyagwaihe The  Ancient  of  Bears 

Sigweont Eattlesnake 


GANYAGE  GOWA   (Diver,  a  duck)  lived  by  a  lake. 
One  morning  he  went  out  in  his  bark  canoe  to  fish, 
but  finding  no  fish  he  went  home  and  put  away  his  canoe. 
Soon  afterward  he  said,  "Well,  I  must  go  somewhere. 
I  am  tired  of  staying  here, ' '  and  he  walked  along  the  shore 

457 


458  SENECA    MYTHS 

till  he  came  near  the  end  of  the  lake  and  saw  a  house. 
He  went  to  the  house  and  finding  no  one  there  and  plenty 
of  meat,  he  ate  what  meat  he  wanted  and  was  starting  off 
when  he  saw  a  man  coming  from  the  lake,  with  a  big  load 
on  his  back.    This  old  man  was  I'onWE  ("Wild  Duck). 

The  two  met  and  greeted  each  other. 

*  *  I  came  to  visit  you, ' '  said  Diver,  ' '  I  have  been  in  your 
house. ' ' 

"Well,  come  back  with  me,"  said  Duck. 

"No,  I  must  go  on." 

"Come  again,  then,"  said  Duck. 

Diver  swam  across  the  lake  and  keeping  along  the  bank 
soon  saw  another  house.  Going  near  he  looked  in  through 
a  crack  and  saw  a  large  family;  a  man  and  woman  and 
their  children.    He  stood  around  a  while  then  went  in. 

The  man,  who  was  of  the  H6ngak  people  (Canada 
Goose),  greeted  him  and  asked,  "Where  did  you  come 
from?" 

"From  the  other  side  of  the  lake,"  said  Diver. 

"What  did  you  come  for?" 

' '  To  see  the  place.    It  is  pleasant  here. ' ' 

"How  far  are  you  going?" 

"Around  the  lake." 

The  two  men  became  friends  and  after  a  while,  Goose 
said,  ' '  I  will  go  with  you. ' ' 

"Very  well,"  answered  Diver,  and  they  walked  along 
the  shore.  At  midday  they  came  to  the  mouth  of  a  river 
and  Diver  asked,  "How  can  we  cross  this  wide  river?" 

"We  can  swim,  if  you  know  how,"  said  Duck. 

"I  do,"  answered  Diver. 

They  swam  across,  then  walked  on  till  they  saw  a  rock, 
then  many  rocks.  The  path  grew  narrower  and  narrower, 
Goose  was  ahead,  Diver  picked  up  a  stone,  and,  tying  a 
bark  string  around  it,  hung  the  stone  on  his  friend's  back 
without  the  man's  knowing  it.  He  couldn't  walk  now, 
kept  slipping  back. 

Diver  said,  "Come  on!  I'm  in  a  hurry,  I  want  to  get 
home  before  dark." 

"Then  let  go  of  me,  don't  pull  me  back." 

"I  am  not  pulling  you  back,  I'll  go  ahead  if  you  want 
me  to.    Wait,  I  will  pass  you." 


ADVENTURES  OF  GANYAGE  GOWA  459 

When  Diver  was  ahead  he  said,  "Now,  come  on!" 

Goose  couldn't  walk  fast  and  Diver  left  him.  The  trail 
grew  narrow  till  at  last  there  was  none.  The  name  of 
the  place  was  Heusdeo'on  (Rocks  go  to  the  water). 

"I  must  turn  back,"  thought  Diver.  "I  can't  get  by 
these  rocks." 

There  was  not  room  to  turn  around,  so  he  tried  to  walk 
backwards.  After  a  few  steps  he  slipped  into  the  water 
and  began  to  swim.  When  past  the  rocks  he  came  out  and 
walked  again.  It  was  nearly  sundown  and  he  asked  in 
his  mind,  "When  will  I  get  home?" 

Soon  it  was  so  dark  that  he  couldn't  travel,  so,  finding 
a  hollow  tree,  he  crawled  into  it.  Not  long  afterward  he 
heard  footsteps  on  the  dry  leaves.  The  sound  stopped 
near  the  tree.    Diver  kept  very  still. 

A  voice  asked,  "Are  you  sleeping  in  this  tree?" 

"I  am,"  answered  Diver. 

1 '  I  want  you  to  come  out  and  talk  with  me. ' ' 

Diver  crawled  out  and  there  stood  Goose,  who  asked, 
"Do  you  know  how  angry  I  am?" 

"Why  are  you  angry?"  asked  Diver.  "I  urged  you  to 
come  along,  but  you  wouldn't." 

"You  did  something1  to  stop  me.    Look  at  my  back." 

The  flesh  was  off  where- t^e  stone  had  hung. 

Goose  caught  hold  of  Diver  and  began  to  strike  him. 
Diver  didn't  want  to  fight.  He  pulled  away  and  ran, 
but  Goose  overtook  him  and  again  began  to  strike.  Diver 
was  angry  now. 

The  two  fought  till  dark  the  next  day,  then  Diver  said, 
"Let  us  rest  a  while." 

"Very  well,"  said  Goose,  "You  can  stay  here,  I  will 
be  back  to-morrow." 

As  soon  as  Goose  was  out  of  sight,  Diver  ran  off.  He 
came  to  a  river  and  thought,  "I  will  swim  across,"  but 
the  water  ran  too  swiftly.  He  was  carried  down  stream 
and  into  rough  water  where  he  couldn't  help  himself.  In 
the  river  there  was  a  large  rock.  Diver  was  driven  against 
it,  and  he  thought,  "Now  I  am  going  to  die,"  but  after 
struggling  a  while,  he  drew  himself  out  of  the  water  on 
to  the  rock. 

In  the  morning  Goose  went  back  to  the  hollow  tree  and 


460  SENECA    MYTHS 

not  finding  Diver  tracked  him  to  the  river,  and  saying, 
"I'll  catch  him!"  he  sprang  into  the  water  and  tried  to 
swim,  but  the  water  was  too  swift.  It  swept  him  to  the 
rock  where  Diver  was. 

"lam  going  to  die  now,"  said  Goose. 

Diver  heard  someone  talking  and  when  he  saw  who  it 
was  he  was  frightened.  He  jumped  into  the  water,  and, 
after  struggling  a  long  time,  reached  land. 

Goose  was  drowned.  His  body  floated  to  the  bank.  Diver 
saw  it  and  said  in  his  mind,  ' '  Oh,  there  is  my  friend !  Did 
he  think  he  could  kill  me?  Didn't  he  know  that  I  had 
more  power  than  he  had?" 

Diver  traveled  on  and  soon  reached  home.  That  night 
he  dreamed  that  he  was  on  a  trail  going  toward  the  West 
when,  in  a  large  opening  in  the  forest,  he  saw  a  Nyag- 
waihe  coming  from  the  southwest,  and  he  thought,  "I  am 
going  to  die;  that  creature  will  kill  me."  He  kept  his 
face  toward  his  enemy  and  walked  backward  to  get  away. 
Soon,  from  the  northwest  came  Blue  Lizard.  Diver  went 
backward  and  backward  as  fast  as  he  could;  Bear  and 
Lizard  met  and  began  to  fight.  Diver  watched  them,  won- 
dering which  one  would  conquer.  As  they  fought  they 
came  near  him.  Again  he  went  backward,  went  till  he 
fell  into  a  hole  in  the  ground.  Bear  and  Lizard  fell  on  to 
him.  Screaming,  "Hurry  up!  Help  me!  I  am  going  to 
die, ' '  Diver  woke  up  and  found  himself  alone.  His  blanket 
was  wrapped  tight  around  his  body  and  he  was  rolling  on 
the  floor. 

"What  a  bad  dream  I've  had,"  said  he  to  himself. 

He  fell  asleep  again  and  again  he  dreamed  of  Bear  and 
Lizard,  but  this  time  they  were  in  the  forest  and  belonged 
to  him.  He  made  them  stand  near  each  other,  put  a  stick 
across  them,  sat  on  it  and  told  them  to  go  toward  the 
West.  They  reached  the  end  of  the  earth  very  quickly. 
Diver  sprang  down,  and  saying,  "Stay  here!"  he  went 
South  till  he  came  to  a  house.  In  the  house  was  a  nice 
looking  old  man. 

"I  have  come  to  see  yoa,"  said  Diver,  "I  am  traveling 
around  the  world." 

"Where  did  you  come  from?"  asked  the  old  man. 

"I  came  from  Great  Lake." 


ADVENTURES  OF  GANYAGE  GOWA  461 

"Why  do  you  travel?" 

'  *  Oh,  to  see  the  world  and  find  out  what  kind  of  people 
are  living  in  it." 

* '  What  is  your  name  ? ' ' 

"Diver.    What  is  yours?" 

"My  name  is  Dzothawendo11  (Humming  Bird).  My 
master  lives  near  here,  you  must  see  him  before  you  visit 
me." 

Going  in  the  direction  pointed  out,  Diver  came  to  a 
house  standing  on  a  high  rock.  He  stood  by  the  rock,  and 
thought,  "How  can  I  get  up  there?"  Then  he  saw  a 
narrow  ledge  running  around  and  around  and  following 
it  he  came  to  the  house.  In  the  house  an  old  man  was 
sitting  by  a  fire. 

Diver  greeted  him  and  he  asked,  "Why  did  you  come 
here?" 

"To  see  the  world." 

' '  Where  did  you  come  from  ? ' ' 

"From  Great  Lake." 

* '  What  is  your  name  ? ' ' 

"Diver.     What  is  yours?" 

"I  am  Dagwanoe^ent"  (Whirlwind). 

"Will  you  let  me  visit  you?"  asked  Diver. 

1 '  You  can  stay  here  as  long  as  you  like. ' ' 

One  morning  Whirlwind  asked,  "Don't  you  want  to  go 
and  see  my  servant?" 

"I  would  like  to,"  answered  Diver. 

They  were  soon  at  Humming  Bird's  house.  They  went 
in,  but  he  was  not  there. 

Whirlwind  said,  "My  servant  is  not  here.  He  must 
have  gone  to  the  southern  end  of  the  world.  A  very  cross 
people  live  there.  He  is  trying  to  subdue  them,  make  them 
peaceful.  You  must  go  home  now.  Something  will  come 
and  chase  you  if  you  are  here  at  midday." 

Diver  started,  but  he  hadn  't  gone  far  when  he  saw  White 
Beaver  coming.  He  tried  to  hide,  but  could  find  no  place. 
He  tried  so  hard  that  he  woke  up. 

He  felt  sad  and  worried  over  his  dreams.  He  was  hun- 
gry, and  he  said  to  himself,  * '  I  will  get  my  canoe  and  try 
to  catch  a  few  fish." 

He  went  far  out  looking  for  fish.     Seeing  a  large  trout 


462  SENECA   MYTHS 

he  jumped  after  it,  but  it  disappeared;  he  saw  another, 
jumped  again,  no  fish.  Then  he  looked  around  carefully 
and  found  there  was  a  fish  on  the  right  side  of  the  canoe 
and  its  shadow  was  down  in  the  water. 

He  caught  the  fish,  ate  it,  and  started  for  home,  but  he 
was  far  out  on  the  lake  and  didn't  know  which  way  to 
go.  He  rowed  very  fast,  in  the  right  direction,  as  he 
supposed.  He  reached  the  shore  but  saw  no  house.  Leaving 
his  canoe  he  walked  toward  home,  as  he  thought. 

He  walked  till  night,  then  came  to  a  hut  in  the  woods. 
Going  near  he  stopped  and  listened. 

There  was  a  man  in  the  hut  and  he  was  saying,  ' '  I  know 
how  to  get  power,  I  can  teach  anyone  who  comes  here,  I 
know  the  whole  world.  I  can  give  power  to  anyone  who 
wants  it.  I  wish  Diver  would  come.  I  would  show  him 
how  strong  I  am.  He  thinks  he  is  the  strongest  man  under 
the  Blue." 

Diver  thought,  "Why  does  he  say  that?  Doesn't  he 
know  how  strong  I  am?" 

He  listened  again,  Gasyondetha  (Meteor)  was  the  old 
man  and  he  said,  "I  am  the  swiftest  runner  and  the 
swiftest  flyer.  I  can  make  light  go  through  the  world,  I 
have  greater  strength  than  any  man.  The  Geese  people 
tried  to  chase  me;  I  killed  them  all,  I  am  the  man,  who, 
many  years  ago,  was  made  chief  of  all  the  people  under 
the  Blue."  He  alluded  to  a  council  held  by  Humming 
Bird  and  other  chiefs. 

*  *  I  would  kill  that  man  if  he  chased  me, ' '  thought  Diver. 
' '  He  must  be  crazy.    He  talks  to  himself  all  the  time. ' ' 

Diver  went  into  the  house  and  said,  "You  are  talking 
about  me." 

"No,  I  am  not." 

'  *  I  will  go,  then,  I  thought  you  were  saying  things  about 
me." 

Diver  went  outside,  picked  up  two  large  stones  and 
striking  them  together,  said,  "I'll  do  this  way  by  that 
man  if  he  follows  me." 

Meteor  came  out  and  asked,  "What  did  you  say?" 

"I  said  that  you  are  the  best  friend  I  have  in  the  world." 

"What  did  you  say  about  the  stones?" 

"I  said  that  when  my  friend  traveled  he  had  to  carry 


ADVENTURES  OF  GANYAGE  GOWA  463 

these  stones  and  if  he  went  into  the  water  he  had  to  throw 
them." 

Meteor  half  believed  the  man  and  he  went  into  the  house. 

Diver  laughed,  and  thought,  "Oh,  he  is  a  fool.  He  be- 
lieves what  I  say."    He  went  into  the  house  again. 

"Why  do  you  come  here?"  asked  Meteor.  "Why  don't 
you  go  home?" 

"I  want  to  stay  till  to-morrow  morning." 

"I  don't  want  such  a  man  as  you  are  around." 

"I'll  not  bother  you." 

"Go  away,  I  don't  like  you.    You  are  mean." 

"I  am  not  mean.    I  will  be  quiet." 

"Well,  stay,  but  you  mustn't  talk  to  me." 

When  night  came,  Meteor  took  his  pipe  and  sitting  down 
by  the  fire,  put  coals  into  it  and  began  to  puff. 

"Does  it  taste  good?"  asked  Diver. 

Meteor  didn't  answer. 

Soon  Diver  said, ' '  How  the  smoke  rolls  around ! ' ' 

Meteor  was  angry  and  screamed,  "Get  out  of  this  hut! 
I  don't  want  you  here." 

"You  said  that  I  could  stay  till  morning." 

"Didn't  I  tell  you  not  to  talk?" 

"I'll  be  quiet.    Don't  put  me  out." 

Meteor  was  silent. 

Diver  laughed.  After  a  while  he  said,  "I  want  to  ask 
a  question,  'What  is  this  world  made  of?'  " 

Meteor  turned  around,  he  was  cross,  but  he  didn't  speak. 

Then  Diver  asked,  "Do  you  believe  the  old  folks  who 
say  that  Whirlwind  is  still  alive?" 

Meteor  didn't  speak,  he  only  turned  and  looked  at 
Diver,  then  turned  back  and  smoked. 

"Do  you  believe  that  Wind  goes  everywhere?"  asked 
Diver. 

"I'll  throw  you  out!"  screamed  Meteor.  "I  told  you 
not  to  talk  to  me." 

"Don't  throw  me  out,"  begged  Diver.  "I  am  going  to 
be  quiet  now. ' ' 

Meteor  sat  down. 

After  a  while  Diver  asked,  "Do  you  believe  old  folks 
who  say  that  HIno'  makes  rain?" 

No  answer. 


464  SENECA    MYTHS 

"Do  you  believe  persons  who  say  that  trouble  comes  to 
those  who  pay  no  heed  to  what  is  told  them?" 

Meteor  looked  at  Diver,  but  didn't  answer. 

"Do  you  believe  old  folks  who  say  that  water  runs  day 
and  night?" 

Meteor  caught  up  a  club  and  began  to  strike  Diver,  who 
begged  hard  and  promised  to  be  quiet. 

"No,  get  out!    I  won't  have  you  here!"  cried  Meteor. 

Diver  begged  still  harder.  Meteor  stopped  striking  and 
was  calm  again.  Diver  laughed  and  said  to  himself, 
"Whenever  I  say  anything,  people  lose  their  anger." 

In  the  middle  of  the  night  Diver  spoke  again.  Meteor 
sprang  up.    He  was  very  angry. 

"Don't  be  angry,"  said  Diver,  "I  only  want  to  know 
things." 

"Go  to  sleep!"  said  Meteor,  "I  don't  want  to  talk." 

Diver  was  silent  for  a  little  while,  then  he  spoke  again. 
Meteor  sprang  up, 

"Now  go!"  cried  he,  "I  don't  like  you." 

Diver  began  to  beg,  but  Meteor  seized  him  by  the  hair 
and  threw  him  out  of  the  house. 

"Oh,  let  me  in,"  begged  Diver.     "I'll  stop  talking." 

1 '  Go  away,  or  I  will  kill  you, ' '  said  Meteor. 

"That  is  a  bad  man.  I  wish  that  I  had  power  enough 
to  make  Wind  blow  down  his  house,"  thought  Diver,  but 
he  started  off.  Soon  he  heard  someone  coming,  looking 
back  and  seeing  Meteor  he  crawled  into  a  hollow  tree. 
Meteor  knew  where  Diver  was  but  to  fool  him  he  went 
back  a  little  and  hid. 

"That  is  the  kind  of  man  I  am,"  said  Diver.  "He 
didn't  see  me,"  and  coming  out  of  the  tree  he  started  on. 
Meteor  followed  again  and  overtaking  Diver  said,  "Now 
I  have  you  and  I  am  going  to  kill  you." 

"No,  no,"  cried  Diver,  "I  don't  want  to  bother  you." 

"Yes,  you  do." 

They  began  to  dispute. 

"I  want  to  ask  you  a  question,"  said  Meteor,  "How 
can  you  make  Wind  blow  down  my  house  ? ' ' 

"I  don't  know." 

"Why  did  you  ask,  what  will  you  do  if  Wind  blows 
down  your  house?" 


ADVENTURES  OF  GANYAGE  GOWA  465 

"I  didn't  ask  that,  I  said  there  was  wind  around  the 
lake." 

"Do  you  believe  that  I  can  kill  you?"  asked  Meteor. 

"Yes,  yes,"  cried  Diver,  and  he  kept  backing  off. 

"I  am  going  to  kill  you  now." 

"What  have  I  done?" 

"You  have  told  lies,"  said  Meteor— but  he  turned  to  go 
away. 

' '  This  is  the  kind  of  man  I  am, ' '  boasted  Diver,  laughing. 

Meteor  heard  what  he  said  and  coming  back,  quickly 
seized  and  shook  Ijim  till  he  cried,  "Oh,  my  friend,  don't 
kill  me,  I  am  always  on  your  side." 

"I  won't  stop  till  I  "kill  you,"  said  Meteor,  then  he 
thought,  "Why  do  I  kill  this  man?"  and  he  let  Diver  get 
up  from  the  ground  where  he  had  thrown  him. 

* '  This  is  the  kind  of  man  I  am, ' '  boasted  Diver,  laughing. 

Now  Meteor  was  terribly  angry.  He  caught  Diver  and 
said  as  he  threw  him, ' '  Go  far  West  and  never  come  back ! ' ' 

Diver,  as  he  went  through  the  air,  rolled  over  and  over. 
At  last  he  came  down  just  where  the  sun  sets. 

As  he  fell  he  said,  "I  wonder  where  Meteor  is." 

Meteor,  though  far  away,  heard  him  and  flying  through 
the  air  came  where  he  was  and  asked,  "What  were  you 
saying  ? ' ' 

"I  was  saying  what  a  nice  place  this  is." 

Meteor  made  no  answer. 

Diver  traveled  North  till  he  saw  a  high  rock  and  on 
the  rock  a  house.  Then  he  thought,  "This  is  the  place 
I  dreamed  about."  He  went  into  a  nearby  cabin  and 
found  an  old  man  there. 

The  man  greeted  him,  and  asked,  "Where  did  you  come 
from?" 

"From  Great  Lake." 

* '  Why  did  you  come  here  ? ' ' 

1 '  I  was  lonely  at  home. ' ' 

"What  is  your  name?" 

"Diver.    What  is  yours?" 

"Humming  Bird." 

"Can  I  stay  here?" 

"No,  you  must  go  first  to  my  master." 

"Where  does  he  live?" 


466  SENECA    MYTHS 

"His  house  is  on  a  great  rock  near  here.'' 

Diver  climbed  up  to  the  house  on  the  rock  and  looking 
in  saw  an  old  man  sitting  by  the  fire.  "That  is  the  same 
man  who  threw  me  West,"  thought  he. 

The  man  turned,  looked  at  Diver,  and  asked,  "Who  are 
you?" 

"I  am  Diver.    Who  are  you?" 

"I  am  Whirlwind." 

"Will  you  let  me  stay  with  you  a  few  days?" 

"You  can  stay  as  long  as  you  like,  I  am  glad  to  have 
someone  in  the  house,  I  am  lonely." 

One  morning  Whirlwind  asked,  "Will  you  go  and  see 
my  servant?" 

"I  will  go,"  said  Diver. 

They  went  to  Humming  Bird's  house.  Whirlwind 
looked  around  and  said,  "He  isn't  here,  he  must  have 
gone  to  the  end  of  the  world.  Cross  people  live  there.  He 
is  going  to  try  and  make  them  good.  If  they  don't  obey 
him,  I  shall  go  and  eat  them  up." 

"How  far  is  it  from  here?" 

"You  couldn't  get  there  in  fifty  Winters." 

"Then  there  will  be  a  hundred  Winters  before  your 
servant  comes  back." 

"Oh,  no,"  said  Whirlwind,  "my  servant  travels  very 
fast.    He  is  in  a  place  as  soon  as  he  thinks  of  it. ' ' 

"I  don't  believe  that,"  said  Diver. 

"Get  away  from  here!"  screamed  Whirlwind.  "People 
are  coming  to  kill  you." 

Diver  started  off,  but  he  hadn't  gone  far  when  White 
Beaver  overtook  him  and  began  to  strike  him. 

"Don't  kill  me,"  begged  Diver,  "I'm  not  strong  enough 
to  fight  with  you.    Don't  kill  me." 

But  Beaver  didn't  listen  to  his  begging.  He  killed  him, 
and  went  on.  Soon  he  met  a  man,  greeted  him  and  asked, 
"Where  are  you  going?" 

"To  see  a  man  who  is  dead." 

"What  is  your  name?" 

"Robin." 

"What  will  you  do  when  you  get  there?" 

"I  don't  know." 

When  Robin  came  to  where  Diver  lay,  he  dug  roots  of 


ADVENTURES  OF  GANYAGE  GOWA  467 

different  kinds  and,  making  a  powder  of  them,  rubbed  the 
powder  over  the  body,  and  soon  Diver  was  alive  again. 
Robin  was  a  great  doctor. 

"This  is  the  kind  of  man  I  am,"  said  Diver.  "Where 
is  White  Beaver?" 

"Don't  speak  of  him,"  said  Robin,  "he  must  be  near." 

Diver  wouldn't  stop  boasting  and  threatening,  so  Robin 
went  off  and  left  him. 

"I'll  go  back  to  Whirlwind's  house,"  said  Diver. 

When  Whirlwind  saw  him  he  laughed  and  said,  ' '  A  man 
came  here  to  tell  me  you  were  dead. ' ' 

"I  shall  not  die,"  said  Diver.  "Haven't  you  heard  old 
folks  say  that  if  SHODionsKOn  died  he  would  soon  come  to 
life?" 

"Yes.    Is  that  why  you  came  to  life?" 

"It  is." 

"Well,  I  want  you  to  go  where  the  cross  people  live. 
Old  men  have  told  me  that  SHODionsKOn  can  make  cross 
people  quiet." 

"I  will  go,"  said  Diver.  When  he  came  down  from  the 
rock  where  Whirlwind's  house  was,  he  took  hold  of  the 
S*ock  and  tried  to  turn  it  over. 

"That  must  be  my  friend,"  thought  Whirlwind  when 
he  felt  the  house  move. 

Diver  kept  at  work  and  a,t  last  over  went  the  rock. 

The  old  man  was  hurt  but  he  sprang  up,  and  cried,  ' '  Oh, 
my  dear  friend,  I  must  kill  you  now." 

He  tried  to  catch  Diver  but  his  head  was  dizzy  and  he 
fell. 

Diver,  seeing  the  old  man  on  the  ground  with  blood 
coming  out  of  his  head,  laughed  and  said,  "What  did 
he  think?  Didn't  he  know  that  I  was  stronger  than 
he  was  ? ' '  He  rolled  the  rock  on  to  the  old  man  and  went 
along. 

When  he  came  to  the  place  where  the  cross  people  lived 
he  stood  near  their  great  earth  house  and  thought,  "I'll 
roll  this  house  over."  And,  taking  hold  of  one  end  of  it, 
he  lifted  it  up.  People  came  running  out  and  when  they 
saw  a  man  holding  up  one  end  of  their  house  they  began 
to  fight  him.  Diver  ran  away  as  fast  as  he  could;  the 
crowd  ran  after  him,  but  he  escaped. 


468  SENECA    MYTHS 

1 '  That 's  the  kind  of  man  I  am, ' '  boasted  he. 

He  walked  till  almost  dark,  then  came  to  a  cliff  in  which 
there  was  a  large  opening.  "Someone  lives  in  there," 
thought  he,  "111  go  in  and  see  who  it  is."  At  first  he 
saw  only  one  man,  then  he  saw  another,  and  another  till 
he  counted  seven. 

"What  are  you  doing  in  this  cliff?"  asked  he. 

"Why  do  you  ask?" 

"I  go  around  to  make  people  quiet  and  happy,"  said 
Diver. 

"We  don't  want  you  here" — these  men  were  the  seven 
Rattlesnake  brothers. 

"I  am  going,"  said  Diver. 

While  leaving  the  cliff,  he  saw  a  house  and  heard  a 
thumping  inside.  Looking  through  a  crack  he  saw  an  old 
man,  who  was  pounding  something  into  a  thin  piece  of 
wood.    Soon  he  put  the  wooden  thing  over  his  face. 

"I  have  never  seen  such  a  man  as  this  one,"  thought 
Diver.  "He  is  making  a  mask.  I'll  take  the  roof  off  of 
his  house  and  then  make  rain  come."  Getting  on  to  the 
hut  he  threw  off  the  roof. 

Old  man  Woodpecker  didn't  know  the  roof  was  off. 
Diver  went  to  a  spring  nearby  and  shook  his  wings  so 
furiously  that  water  flew  high  and  came  down  over  where 
the  man  sat. 

"My  house  is  getting  old,"  thought  Woodpecker.  "Rain 
comes  in.    I  '11  sit  where  it  is  dry. ' ' 

He  stood  up  and  looked  around  but  he  couldn't  see  a 
dry  place.  "I'll  get  someone  to  cover  my  house,"  said  he, 
and  leaving  his  work  he  started.  He  heard  a  noise  at  the 
spring  and  saw  a  man  standing  in  the  water. 

"What  are  you  doing  there?"  asked  he. 

"I  am  trying  to  fish,"  answered  Diver.  "When  I  get 
the  water  all  out  it  will  be  easy." 

"That  is  my  spring,"  said  the  old  man*  "If  you  don't 
get  out  of  it,  I  will  kill  you." 

"I  am  not  afraid  of  you.    You  are  old  and  weak." 

"I  can  kill  you  quickly,"  said  Woodpecker. 

"You  can't,  you  are  too  old." 

But  Diver  was  afraid.  He  left  the  spring.  He  traveled 
a  long  time.    One  morning  he  came  to  a  house  and  looking 


ADVENTURES  OF  GANYAGE  GOWA  469 

in  saw  an  old  man  sitting  by  a  fire.  This  man  was  Corn 
Beetle. 

Soon  the  old  man  said,  "Come  in,  my  nephew,  why  do 
you  stay  outside?    If  you  are  here  to  visit  me,  come  in." 

"I  have  found  my  uncle,"  thought  Diver,  "I'll  go  in, 
he  wants  me.  • ' 

He  went  in  and  asked,  "Uncle,  what  do  you  want?" 

"I  have  a  nice  game,"  said  the  old  man,  "that  I  play 
when  anyone  comes  to  visit  me.  We  wager  heads.  I  have 
canoes  to  race  with." 

"Very  well,"  said  Diver,  "that  is  a  game  I  used  to 
play." 

The  old  man  brought  out  two  white  flint  canoes  and 
said,  "Take  your  choice." 

Diver  looked  the  canoes  over  and  chose  the  old  one. 

1 '  That  is  the  worst  one, ' '  said  the  old  man.  ' '  That  canoe 
can't  help  you.    It  will  tip  over." 

It  was  the  canoe  that  had  the  greatest  power  and  the 
old  man  wanted  it  himself. 

They  went  to  the  lake,  put  their  canoes  down  at  the 
edge  of  the  water  and  each  man  sat  in  his  own  canoe. 

"Ha  onen!"  said  the  old  man  and  the  two  canoes  started. 

Diver  was  soon  far  ahead,  when  he  reached  the  end  of 
the  lake  he  asked  in  his  mind,  "Where  is  my  uncle?" 

After  a  long  time  he  saw  the  old  man  coming.  When 
he  pulled  his  canoe  onto  the  sand,  he  said,  "Let  us  rest 
till  to-morrow. ' ' 

Diver  pretended  to  be  asleep. 

"He  is  asleep,"  said  the  old  man  to  himself. 

He  pushed  the  old  canoe  into  the  water,  sat  in  it,  and 
said,  "Carry  me  to  where  the  sun  goes  down."  The  canoe 
rushed  through  the  air. 

Diver  got  up  and  looked  at  his  uncle's  canoe,  then  he 
sat  in  it,  and  said,  ' '  I  want  you  to  go  where  my  uncle  has 
p;one." 

He  struck  the  canoe  with  a  white  flint  stone;  it  became 
alive  and  went  very  fast,  faster  than  the  canoe  the  uncle 
had  taken.  While  going  through  the  air  Diver  sang  and 
his  song  said,  "We  are  following  my  uncle's  trail.  We 
are  following  my  uncle's  trail." 

Soon  he  saw  a  small,  dark  speck  ahead.    It  grew  larger 


470  SENECA    MYTHS 

and  larger,  but  Diver  did  not  overtake  the  old  man.  He 
got  to  where  the  sun  goes  down,  but  the  old  man  was  there 
first. 

"You  cheated  me,"  said  Diver.  "Now  I  am  going  to 
cut  off  your  head." 

"I  haven't  cheated  you,  I  tried  to  waken  you." 

"Why  did  you  come  so  far?"  asked  Diver. 

"I  came  to  see  where  the  sun  goes." 

"I  think  that  you  tried  to  run  away  from  me.  Now 
we  will  go  back  to  the  end  of  the  lake." 

They  were  soon  back.  Then  Diver  said,  "We  will  sleep 
a  while, ' '  but  he  didn  't  sleep ;  he  watched  the  old  man  till 
morning. 

Then  they  got  into  the  canoes  and  started  for  the  old 
man's  home.  Diver  was  there  first.  When  the  old  man 
came,  Diver  took  a  basswood  knife  and  cut  off  his  head. 

Diver  walked  along  till  he  came  to  a  hemlock  forest. 
While  standing  among  the  trees  he  heard  a  man  say  "Hiyi! 
Hiyi!"  and  looking  up  saw  a  man  sitting  on  the  limb  of 
a  tree. 

"I  will  give  you  a  name,"  said  Diver,  "I'll  call  you 
Hiyi."    The  man  laughed,  he  was  glad  to  have  a  name. 

After  a  time  Diver  came  to  a  river  with  rocky  banks, 
and,  going  down  to  the  edge  of  the  water,  he  saw  an  ugly 
looking  man.  The  man  greeted  him  and  said,  "I  am  glad 
you  have  come.    I  am  hungry.    I  will  eat  you." 

"Don't  kill  me,"  begged  Diver,  "I'm  not  good  to  eat. 
Do  you  believe  Hani  sheono11  is  alive  I ' ' 

"Yes,"  said  the  old  man. 

"He  is  dead,"  said  Diver.    "He  was  killed  last  night." 

The  old  man  began  to  cry  aloud,  cried  till  many  of  his 
people  heard  him  and  came  to  see  why  he  cried. 

"I  have  heard  that  Hani  sheono11  (Muck- worm)  is 
dead,"  said  the  old  man. 

Then  all  began  to  cry. 

"Why  do  you  cry?"  asked  Diver.  "You  are  free  now. 
You  should  be  glad.  I  will  give  you  a  name,  I  will  call 
you  Geno°skwa  (Cold  and  Frost).  You  can't  overtake 
me." 

They  were  angry  and  followed  him.  He  began  to  fly. 
He  went  up  and  up  till  he  reached  the  clouds.     He  saw 


ADVENTURES  OF  GANYAGE  GOWA  471 

people  there,  and  thought,  "Who  can  be  living  here,  I 
never  heard  that  there  were  people  up  in  the  clouds." 
Soon  he  met  a  man  wearing  beautiful  downy  clothes. 

The  man  greeted  Diver  and  asked,  "Where  are  you 
from?" 

"From  down  below." 

"How  did  you  get  here?" 

"Through  the  air.  I  want  to  give  you  a  name,  I  will 
call  you  Skadagea  (In-the-Mist).  This  is  a  strange  place 
up  here." 

"We  can  see  all  over  the  world,"  said  the  stranger. 
"Look  straight  down." 

Diver  looked.  It  didn't  seem  far,  but  he  could  see  all 
over  the  world. 

"Do  you  know  the  man  who  lives  by  that  lake  down 
there  ? ' '  asked  Diver.    "  He  is  a  mean  man. ' ' 

"You  mustn't  bother  that  man,"  said  In-the-Mist,  "he 
is  a  great  power.  He  is  Meteor.  We  are  afraid  of  him. 
You  must  go  now,  Geha  (Wind)  is  coming.  He  will  kill 
you  if  you  stay  here." 

Diver  came  to  the  earth  and  looking  around,  saw  a  man 
coming  out  of  the  ground. 

1 '  Do  you  live  in  the  ground  ? ' '  asked  Diver. 

"I've  always  lived  there,"  answered  the  man.  "Don't 
bother  me." 

"Do  you  know  where  Muck-worm's  home  is?" 

"I  know.  It  is  in  the  ground,  that  is  why  I  live  in  the 
ground." 

"Do  you  think  you  have  as  much  power  as  he  has?" 
asked  Diver. 

"I  have  not,"  said  the  man. 

"Have  you  a  name?" 

"I  don't  want  one." 

"I  will  call  you  Bumble-bee." 

The  man  hung  his  head,  then  raised  it  and  asked,  '  f  Can 
you  call  me  by  another  name  ? ' ' 

"No,  it's  the  name  that  suits  you  best.  You  are  bad 
looking. ' ' 

The  man  cried.  He  was  Winged  Ant  and  he  didn't 
want  to  be  changed. 

Diver  traveled  on  till  he  came  to  Meteor's  house.    Meteor 


472  SENECA    MYTHS 

was  asleep  but  he  woke  up  and  began  to  sing,  "Where  is 
my  friend  Diver?  Where  is  my  friend  Diver?  I  want  to 
see  him." 

"Why  does  he  sing  about  me?"  thought  Diver,  and 
taking  up  a  mallet  he  began  hitting  the  old  man  on  the 
head. 

"I  think  gnats  are  biting  me,"  said  Meteor.  He  turned 
over,  saw  Diver  and  asked,  "What  are  you  doing?  Why 
do  you  hit  me?" 

1 '  I  haven 't  hit  you.  I  called  you  '  Grandfather. '  Let  us 
talk  and  be  friends." 

"Very  well,  sit  down  at  the  other  end  of  the  fire." 

The  two  men  talked  a  long  time,  disputed  as  they  did 
before. 

At  last  Diver  asked,  "What  can  kill  you?" 

"A  flag  stalk  that  grows  in  a  swamp.  If  a  man  were 
to  strike  with  one  of  those  stalks,  it  would  kill  me. ' ' 

Diver  went  to  a  swamp  and  came  back  with  a  flag  stalk. 
He  struck  Meteor  and  ran  off,  thinking  he  had  killed  him. 
Soon  he  came  to  a  house  built  on  the  side  of  a  high  rock 
and  he  wondered  how  he  could  throw  it  over.  As  he  stood 
thinking  a  man  greeted  him. 

* '  Do  you  live  in  that  house  up  there  ? ' '  asked  Diver. 

"I  live  there,"  said  the  man.  "When  I  talk,  everyone 
hears  me." 

"Let  me  hear  you,"  said  Diver. 

The  man  called  out  "Wia'a"'  (the  call  of  the  Phebe 
bird). 

"That  is  enough,"  said  Diver.  "I  am  traveling  and 
giving  names.  Hereafter  whoever  speaks  of  you  will  call 
you  Gwi'yee  (the  Phebe  bird).  You  will  be  quiet  and  will 
not  chase  people."  (This  is  why  the  Phebe  bird  never 
chases  other  birds,  or  people.) 

The  next  morning,  Diver  thought  he  would  go  and  see 
if  Meteor  was  dead. 

When  near  the  house  he  heard  singing  and  the  song 
said,  "I  will  kill  Diver  as  soon  as  I  see  him." 

The  old  man  stopped  singing  and  began  to  talk,  to  say, 
"My  grandson  means  to  kill  me." 

"I  will  kill  him  and  burn  his  house,"  thought  Diver, 
and  piling  up  brush  he  set  it  on  fire. 


ADVENTURES  OF  GANYAGE  GOWA    473 

"I  think  my  house  is  burning,"  said  Meteor.  "My 
grandson  is  doing  this." 

He  was  very  angry.  He  sprang  through  the  fire,  and 
the  first  thing  Diver  knew  the  old  man  stood  near  him. 

"You  have  set  my  house  on  fire,"  cried  Meteor. 

"No  I  haven't.  I  saw  it  burning  and  came  to  put  out 
the  fire." 

The  old  man  didn't  believe  him.  He  seized  him  and 
pounded  him  to  death.  Then  Meteor  whooped  and  called 
out,  "This  is  the  kind  of  man  I  am.  I  am  the  most  power- 
ful man  under  the  Blue ! " 

People  all  over  the  world  heard  him  and  said,  "Diver 
is  dead.    Meteor  has  killed  him." 


TURKEY'S  BROTHER  GOES  IN  SEARCH  OF 
OF  A  WIFE 


Characters 


Gasyondetha   Meteor 

Otsoon Turkey 

Teqdoodhuishe,  Woodchuck  Leggings  (the  Deceiver) 


AN  old  man  had  two  nephews :  one,  perhaps,  fifteen  or 
sixteen,  the  other  two  or  three  years  old.  The  three 
lived  together  in  a  bark  house  in  the  woods. 

When  the  uncle  went  hunting,  the  elder  brother  stayed 
at  home.  When  the  young  man  was  hunting,  the  uncle 
was  at  home,  for  the  younger  boy  was  too  small  to  be  left 
alone. 

One  day  the  elder  brother  said,  ''Uncle,  if  you  will  kill 
a  turkey,  I  will  make  a  coat  for  my  little  brother  to  wear. ' ' 

"How  can  you  do  that?"  asked  the  uncle. 

"Oh,  I  will  skin  the  turkey  and  make  a  feather  coat." 

The  next  day  the  uncle  brought  home  a  large,  white 
turkey-gobbler.  The  young  man  took  the  skin  off  from 
head,  legs  and  body,  in  one  piece.  Then  he  rubbed  the 
skin  and  made  it  soft  and  when  it  was  ready  he  put  it  on 
the  little  boy.  It  fitted  him  nicely,  for  he  was  the  same 
size  as  the  turkey.  He  put  his  feet  into  the  skin  of  the 
legs  and  his  arms  into  the  wings,  and  then  went  around 
hunting  for  beechnuts.  He  could  fly  onto  trees  and  he 
looked  exactly  like  a  turkey  so  they  called  him  Otsoon 
(Turkey). 

The  uncle   and  nephews  lived  together  till   the   elder 

474 


TURKEY  IN  SEARCH  OF  A  WIFE     475 

nephew  was  old  enough  to  marry.  Then  the  uncle  said 
to  him,  "lam  tired  of  cooking,  I  want  to  eat  food  cooked 
by  a  woman.  You  are  old  enough  to  marry.  The  chief 
of  a  village  far  from  here  has  three  daughters.  You  can 
get  one  of  them  for  the  asking." 

"Very  well,  I  will  go  and  ask  for  her,"  said  the  young 
man  and  he  began  to  get  ready. 

Turkey  wanted  to  go  too,  but  his  brother  said,  "You 
must  stay  at  home  with  our  uncle.  How  can  we  leave 
him  alone?" 

"I  don't  want  to  stay  here,"  said  Turkey,  "I  want  to 
go  with  you." 

No  matter  how  the  brother  and  uncle  coaxed  or  scolded 
Turkey  insisted,  and  at  last  they  told  him  he  could  go. 

"Now,  Nephew,"  said  the  uncle,  "You  must  have  an 
outfit.  They  must  see  that  you  are  a  great  man,  I  will 
give  you  what  I  have." 

He  brought  a  coat  of  wild-cat  skin  and  put  it  on  the 
young  man,  then,  standing  back  and  looking  at  him,  he 
said,  "That  is  not  good  enough." 

He  brought  a  lynx-skin;  that  didn't  please  him. 

"Oh,"  said  he,  "I  have  another  coat;  that's  the  one 
for  you." 

He  brought  a  gasyondetha  skin  coat  with  the  head  for 
a  cap,  whenever  the  wearer  was  angry  the  head  would 
roar.  In  the  cap  he  put  two  loon  feathers  that  sang  all 
the  time. 

"This  will  do!"  said  the  old  man.  "Now  they  will 
see  you  as  you  are." 

He  gave  the  young  man  beautiful  moccasins,  with  leg- 
gings to  match,  and  a  pouch  of  fisher-skin,  whenever  an 
enemy  came  near  the  fisher  would  snap  at  him  and  bite 
him.  In  the  pouch  was  a  pipe.  The  bowl  of  the  pipe 
was  a  bull  frog,  the  stem  a  water  snake.  When  the  young 
man  began  to  smoke  the  bull  frog  croaked  and  the  snake 
wriggled  and  tried  to  swallow  the  frog. 

The  uncle  said,  "Now,  my  Nephew,  go  straight  toward 
the  West.  It  is  a  long  journey.  We  are  the  only  ones  left 
of  our  nation.  All  of  our  people  have  been  captured  and 
carried  off,  that  is  why  you  must  go  so  far  for  a  wife. 
When  half  way  to  the  chief's  village,  you  will  see  a  spring 


476  SENECA   MYTHS 

on  one  side  of  the  trail.  Don't  stop  there  or  touch  the 
water.  Farther  on,  about  half  way  between  the  spring 
and  the  chief's  house,  you  will  meet  an  old  man.  He  is  a 
great  thief.     Don't  stop  with  him  or  listen  to  him." 

The  brothers  set  out  at  sunrise  and  at  midday  they  came 
to  the  spring,  though  it  was  a  year's  journey  for  an 
ordinary  person.  As  soon  as  the  elder  brother  saw  the 
spring  he  was  thirsty  and  wanted  to  drink,  but  Turkey 
said,  ''Our  uncle  told  us  not  to  touch  that  water." 

They  were  passing  the  spring  when  the  elder  brother 
looked  again  at  the  water  and  this  time  he  was  so  thirsty 
that  Turkey  couldn't  keep  him  from  drinking.  Lying 
down  he  had  just  touched  the  water  with  his  lips  when 
something  caught  him  by  the  hair  and  pulled  him  into  the 
spring,  but  he  grasped  the  creature  and,  struggling  hard, 
got  out  of  the  water  bringing  the  creature  with  him.  It 
was  not  a  man,  though  it  looked  something  like  one. 

It  gasped  and  begged,  "Oh,  Grandson,  throw  me  back! 
Oh,  Grandson,  throw  me  back!" 

' '  No,  you  can  stay  where  you  are, ' '  said  the  young  man. 
He  lay  down  again  to  drink  and  a  second  creature  caught 
him;  he  pulled  that  one  out. 

"Oh,  Grandson,"  it  gasped,  "throw  me  back!  Throw 
me  back ! ' ' 

A  third  time  he  lay  down  to  drink  and  this  time  he  was 
undisturbed.  The  water  was  sweet  and  cool.  When  he 
had  finished  drinking,  he  killed  the  two  creatures.  With 
Turkey's  help  he  gathered  all  the  dry  sticks  to  be  found, 
put  the  creatures  on  the  pile  and  burned  them  to  ashes, 
then  the  two  traveled  on.  In  the  middle  of  the  afternoon 
they  came  to  a  place  where  there  were  many  tall  trees 
and  around  one  of  them  an  old  man  was  running  as  fast 
as  he  could  go. 

When  he  saw  the  young  man  he  called  to  him,  "Oh, 
my  Grandson,  shoot!  Look,  such  a  nice  fat  coon!  Shoot 
him  for  me!" 

He  begged  so  hard  that  the  young  man  shot  at  the  coon. 
The  arrow  stuck  in  its  body  and  the  coon  ran  into  a  hole 
in  the  tree,  as  the  young  man  thought. 

"Oh,  we  must  find  the  coon,"  said  the  old  man,  "You 
mustn't  lose  your  arrow.     Go  into  the  hole  and  pull  him 


TURKEY  IN  SEARCH  OF  A  WIFE     477 

out,  but  take  off  your  clothes  so  as  not  to  spoil  them. 
You  needn't  be  afraid,  I  won't  touch  them.  I  am  going 
in  too." 

The  young  man  took  off  his  coat,  leggings  and  moccasins 
and  put  them  on  the  ground,  then  climbed  the  tree,  the 
old  man  following  him.  When  they  came  to  the  hole,  the 
young  man  looked  into  it  and  right  at  hand,  as  he  thought, 
saw  the  coon.  He  reached  in  to  pull  the  arrow  out,  but  that 
instant  the  old  man  pushed  him  and  down  he  went  through 
the  hollow  tree  to  the  very  bottom.  There  was  no  coon 
in  the  tree. 

The  old  man  slipped  to  the  ground,  put  on  the  young 
man's  coat,  leggings  and  moccasins,  and  taking  his  pouch 
and  bow  and  arrows  started  off  westward,  toward  the 
chief's  village. 

Turkey  cried  a  long  time  for  his  brother,  then  he  flew 
on  to  a  tree  and  sat  there  moaning. 

The  elder  brother  thought,  "Now  I  am  in  trouble.  My 
uncle  told  me  not  to  listen  to  that  old  man." 

There  was  no  way  of  getting  out  of  the  hole,  for  the 
sides  were  as  smooth  as  ice.  On  the  ground,  at  the  bottom, 
were  the  bones  of  people,  who  had  been  thrown  in  by  the 
old  man. 

Toward  morning  the  young  man  remembered  that  in 
his  boyhood  a  great  spider  had  appeared  to  him  in  a  dream, 
and  said,  "If  ever  you  get  into  trouble  I  will  help  you." 

"Oh,  Spider!"  cried  he,  "Come  and  help  me  now." 

That  minute  a  great  spider  came  to  the  opening  and 
began  to  make  a  web.  When  the  web  reached  the  bottom 
of  the  hole  the  spider  called  out,  ' '  Now  climb ! ' ' 

The  young  man  started  but  wasn't  half  way  up  when 
the  web  broke. 

"Oh,  Spider,"  moaned  he,  "You  are  not  strong  enough 
to  help  me."  Then  he  remembered  that  in  his  boyhood 
a  black  snake  had  appeared  to  him  in  a  dream  and  had 
promised  to  help  him  if  ever  he  were  in  trouble. 

"Oh,  Black  Snake,"  cried  he,  "help  me  now." 

Straightway  a  black  snake  looked  into  the  hole,  then  it 
slipped  its  body  down  till  the  end  of  it  reached  the  ground. 
The  young  man  took  hold  of  it.  The  snake  coiled  itself 
up,  brought  him  to  the  top,  then  disappeared. 


478  SENECA    MYTHS 

When  Turkey  saw  his  brother  he  was  glad.  He  flew 
to  the  ground,  and  said,  "Now,  we  must  go  home." 

"No,"  said  the  young  man,  "We  must  go  to  the  chief's 
village.    I  will  put  on  the  old  man's  clothes." 

As  soon  as  he  had  on  the  stiff  leggings,  the  torn  moccasins 
and  the  dirty  blanket,  his  voice  grew  weak  and  he  began 
to  cough,  and  right  away  he  looked  and  felt  like  an  old 
man. 

The  thief  meanwhile  felt  young  and  strong  and  could 
travel  fast.  In  front  of  the  chief's  village  was  a  broad 
river.  When  the  thief  came  to  it  he  shouted  for  some  one 
to  ferry  him  across. 

The  chief's  eldest  daughter  rowed  over  in  a  canoe  and 
seeing  a  fine  looking  man,  she  asked,  "Where  did  you 
come  from,  and  where  are  you  going?" 

"I  came  from  the  East.  I  am  going  to  the  chief's  house, 
I  am  looking  for  a  wife,  and  I  have  heard  that  he  has 
three  daughters." 

"I  am  his  eldest  daughter,"  said  the  girl,  "I  think  you 
would  suit  me." 

"Very  well,"  answered  the  thief. 

"Then  you  are  my  husband,"  said  the  girl. 

She  led  him  to  her  father's  house  and  showing  him  a 
couch  covered  with  beautiful  skins,  said,  "That  is  your 
place. ' ' 

The  next  evening  Turkey  and  his  brother  came  to  the 
river.  The  old  man  shouted  for  somebody  to  come  and 
row  them  over,  but  his  voice  was  so  weak  and  thin  that  for 
a  long  time  he  wasn't  heard. 

At  last  some  one  on  the  opposite  bank  said,  "An  old 
man  and  a  turkey  want  to  cross  the  river." 

The  chief's  youngest  daughter  got  her  canoe  and  went 
over.  She  asked  the  old  man  who  he  was  and  where  he 
came  from. 

"I  came  from  the  East,"  said  he,  "I  am  looking  for 
a  wife." 

"Looking  for  a  wife?  Why  you  are  too  old,"  said  the 
girl. 

"I  am  young,  but  maybe  I  look  old.  Here  is  my 
brother.    He  is  a  little  boy." 


TURKEY  IN  SEARCH  OF  A  WIFE     479 

"Did  you  come  from  beyond  the  wizard  spring?"  asked 
the  girl. 

"I  did,  and  I  cleared  the  spring  of  two  strange  crea- 
tures. ' ' 

"Did  you  meet  an  old  man?" 

1 '  I  did,  and  that  is  why  I  look  old ;  he  stole  my  clothes. ' ' 

"This  is  the  man  we  are  waiting  for,"  thought  the 
girl,  "111  marry  him." 

She  rowed  him  across  the  river,  led  him  to  the  chief's 
house  and  pointing  out  a  couch  covered  with  beautiful 
skins,  said,  "That  is  your  place."  Above  the  couch  was 
a  smaller  one,  the  girl  said,  "Your  brother  can  have  that 
place  up  there." 

When  the  girl's  family  saw  the  husband  she  had  chosen 
they  were  dissatisfied  and  tried  to  persuade  the  chief  to 
drive  him  out,  but  he  said,  "Let  the  girl  alone,  she  knows 
what  she  is  doing." 

The  husband  and  wife  lived  quietly  for  a  number  of 
days,  then  the  husband  said,  "I  am  sick,  go  to  your  father 
and  ask  him  for  his  best  bowl." 

She  brought  the  bowl  and  the  man  filled  it  with  beautiful 
black  wampum. 

"Take  this  wampum  to  your  father,"  said  he,  "and  say 
that  I  give  it  to  him." 

1 '  Oh, ' '  said  the  chief  when  he  saw  the  wampum, ' '  I  knew 
he  was  a  great  man.  He  is  the  greatest  man  I  have  ever 
heard  of.     This  is  beautiful  wampum." 

When  the  husband  of  the  eldest  sister  heard  what  had 
happened,  he  said  to  his  wife,  "Ask  your  father  for  his 
best  bowl,  I  am  sick." 

She  brought  the  bowl,  but  in  place  of  filling  it  with 
wampum  he  filled  it  with  lizards  and  foul  things. 

The  chief  was  angry  and  said  to  his  daughter,  "Go  to 
the  river,  wash  the  bowl  and  scrape  it  clean." 

A  few  days  later  the  husband  of  the  youngest  sister 
said,  "Go  and  ask  your  father  for  his  bowl." 

She  brought  the  bowl  and  he  filled  it  with  beautiful 
white  wampum. 

The  chief  was  delighted,  and  said,  "My  son-in-law  is 
a  great  man;  he  comes  from  the  Wampum  people." 

When  the  thief  heard  about  the  white  wampum  he  sent 


480  SENECA    MYTHS 

for  the  chief's  bowl,  but  again  he  filled  it  with  lizards  and 
foul  things,  and  again  his  wife  spent  a  whole  day  at  the 
river  cleaning  and  scouring  the  bowl. 

Now  Wildcat  and  Fox  came  to  see  the  youngest  sister's 
husband,  for  they  were  his  friends.  After  a  while  Fox 
spied  Turkey  sitting  on  his  shelf  over  his  brother's  couch 
and  he  said  to  Wildcat,  ''That's  a  nice  gobbler  up  there, 
can't  you  get  him  for  us?" 

That  night  Wildcat  crawled  down  the  smoke-hole  till 
he  could  reach  Turkey.  Turkey  was  sitting  with  his  eyes 
wide  open.  He  saw  Wildcat  and  waited  till  he  was  near, 
then  he  raised  his  club  and  struck  him  such  a  heavy  blow 
that  he  fell  into  the  fire,  and  before  he  could  get  out  his 
coat  was  so  singed  and  burned,  that  to  this  day  Wildcats 
have  yellow,  smoky  coats. 

Wildcat  screamed,  "Oh,  I've  had  a  fit.  I  fell  into  the 
fire  and  am  burned!" 

"You  can't  have  fits  here!"  said  the  eldest  sister,  and 
jumping  up  she  pushed  Wildcat  out  of  the  house. 

Fox  was  waiting  outside. 

"That's  not  a  turkey,"  said  Wildcat,  "that's  a  wizard. 
He  will  kill  us." 

The  two  hurried  off  without  saying  good-bye  to  their 
friend. 

"Ask  your  father  for  his  bow  and  arrows,"  said  the 
young  man  to  his  wife. 

She  brought  them  and  the  next  day  he  killed  more  deer 
than  had  ever  been  killed  in  that  place.  The  game  was 
carried  to  the  chief's  house  and  all  the  people  had  enough 
to  eat,  no  man  was  left  without  meat,  and  everybody 
wondered  at  the  great  number  of  deer  killed. 

The  chief  notified  the  people  that  there  would  be  a 
council  at  daybreak  the  next  morning. 

Every  one  was  awake  early,  except  the  chief's  eldest 
daughter  and  her  husband ;  they  were  sound  asleep.  While 
they  slept  the  young  man  took  his  coat,  leggings,  moc- 
casins and  pouch  from  the  thief  and  put  them  on,  then 
he  went  to  the  council. 

"Get  up,"  said  the  mother,  shaking  her  daughter,  "your 
husband  must  go  to  the  council."     Then,  glancing  at  the 


TURKEY  IN  SEARCH  OF  A  WIFE     481 

man,  she  started  back  in  fright,  and  cried,  "What  a 
looking  husband  you  have!" 

As  soon  as  the  clothes  were  gone,  the  man  was  old  and 
shrunken,  with  a  face  like  an  owl's. 

The  young  woman  woke  up  and  looking  at  her  husband 
was  frightened  to  see  what  an  ugly  old  creature  he  was. 
She  pulled  him  up,  pushed  him  out  of  the  house,  and 
said,  "I  won't  have  you  for  a  husband!" 

The  thief  disappeared  and  was  never  seen  again. 

When  the  young  man  went  into  the  council  house,  he 
was  fine  looking  and  strong.  He  opened  his  pouch,  took 
out  his  pipe,  lighted  it  and  began  to  smoke.  The  bull  frog 
croaked,  the  snake  wriggled  and  tried  to  swallow  the  frog. 

Then  all  the  people  said,  "We  have  never  seen  such  a 
powerful  man!" 

The  young  man  said  to  his  father-in-law,  "Now  that  I 
have  my  clothes,  I  must  go  back  to  my  uncle  who  lives 
in  the  East." 

"We  will  go  with  you,"  said  the  chief. 

And  the  people  shouted,  "We  will  go  too!" 

"My  brother  and  I  will  go  ahead,"  said  the  young  man, 
and,  turning  to  Turkey  he  said,  "Now,  brother,  take  off 
your  turkey  skin  and  dress  as  other  boys  do." 

Turkey  took  off  the  skin  and  he  looked  fine  in  his  new 
blanket  and  leggings. 

The  brothers  went  home  in  one  day;  the  chief  and  his 
people  were  a  long  time  on  the  road.  The  uncle  was  glad 
to  see  his  nephews  and  to  welcome  the  chief.  "This  is 
my  story." 


THE  TWELVE  BROTHERS  AND  THEIR 
UNCLE,   DAGWANOE'YENT 


Character 
Dagwanoedyent Whirlwind  or  Cyclone 


ONCE  twelve  brothers  lived  together.    Everyone  knew 
that  these  brothers  had  great  power  and  could  do 
whatever  they  undertook. 

Each  morning  the  twelve  started  off  in  different  direc- 
tions to  hunt  and  each  evening  they  came  back  to  the  cabin. 
The  eldest  of  the  twelve  knew  that  there  were  women 
going  around  in  the  world  to  destroy  men  and  he  avoided 
them. 

One  day  while  he  was  hunting,  he  saw  a  red-headed 
woodpecker  tapping  on  a  tree  and  making  a  great  noise. 
As  he  watched  the  bird,  it  went  around  the  tree,  then  went 
to  another  tree  and  around  that,  then  it  flew  to  the  ground, 
became  a  young  woman,  and  called  to  him,  "Are  you  not 
ashamed  to  point  your  arrow  at  a  woman?  Come  and 
talk  to  me." 

The  young  man  went  to  her  and  that  was  the  last  he 
remembered. 

The  woman  carried  him  to  a  high  rock  where  there  was 
another  woman,  who  said,  "Let  his  bones  drop  to  the 
ground!" 

The  young  man's  body  fell  apart,  became  a  heap  of 
bones.  Great  piles  of  bones  lay  around  the  rock  for  many 
men  had  been  brought  to  the  place  by  the  first  woman 
and  destroyed  by  the  second. 

When  night  came  and  their  brother  did  not  come  home, 
the  eleven  said,  "Some  evil  has  befallen  our  brother.  He 
will  never  come  back,"  and  they  mourned  for  him. 

482 


TWELVE  BROTHERS  AND  UNCLE     483 

After  a  time  the  second  brother  was  missing,  and  he 
never  came  back. 

While  walking  along  in  the  forest  the  young  man  met 
two  women.     They  put  him  to  sleep. 

Then  one  said  to  the  other,  "We  will  bury  him  in  the 
ground.  He  will  stay  there  till  mold  covers  his  face  and 
body,  and  still  he  will  be  alive.  We'll  leave  him  there  till 
his  brother  finds  where  he  is  and  rescues  him." 

The  ten  brothers  were  greatly  frightened.  They  told 
their  youngest  brother,  whom  they  loved  much,  that  he 
must  stay  at  home,  not  go  roaming  around  in  the  forest, 
for  he  was  young  and  didn't  know  the  world  as  well 
as  they  did. 

A  time  passed  and  then  one  night  the  third  brother  was 
missing.  The  nine  said  that  he  must  be  dead  or  he  would 
come  home  and  they  mourned  for  him. 

Now  three  places  were  empty  and  the  brothers  were 
lonesome  and  sad. 

Time  went  on  till,  one  after  another,  ten  of  the  brothers 
had  disappeared,  only  two  were  left :  the  youngest  and  the 
one  next  older. 

Then  the  elder  said  to  his  brother,  "You  must  not  go 
into  the  forest,  you  must  always  stay  at  home  where  no 
harm  can  come  to  you,  for  you  are  the  only  one  I  have  to 
depend  on  when  I  am  old." 

1 '  But, ' '  said  the  younger,  ' '  Maybe  our  brothers  are  cap- 
tives, maybe  they  are  being  tormented  by  some  one,  I  want 
to  go  in  search  of  them." 

1 '  You  cannot  go, ' '  said  his  brother,  ' '  You  are  too  young. 
We  have  an  uncle,  who  knows  everything.  Maybe  he 
could  bring  our  brothers  back,  but  he  is  such  a  terrible 
creature  that  no  one  can  get  near  him.  He  wouldn't  know 
that  we  are  his  nephews  and  he  would  kill  us.  He  lives 
on  a  high  rock.  His  long  hair  has  swept  the  ground 
around  the  rock  till  the  ground  is  as  smooth  as  ice.  He 
has  no  body,  but  he  has  a  great  head  and  enormous  eyes." 

"I  must  go  to  this  uncle,"  said  the  younger  man,  "and 
find  out  where  our  brothers  are." 

"If  he  doesn't  tell  you,  you  may  travel  the  whole  world 
and  not  find  them,"  said  his  brother. 

"What  does  our  uncle  live  on?" 


484  SENECA    MYTHS 

"He  gnaws  the  bark  of  hickory  trees." 

"That  is  good  food.  I'll  get  him  plenty  of  it,"  said  the 
young  man. 

He  felled  the  tallest  trees  he  could  find  and  cut  out  large 
blocks  of  bark  for  his  uncle  to  eat,  then  he  lifted  six  trees 
out  of  the  ground  by  the  roots,  and  said  to  the  trees,  "I 
want  you  to  be  small."  The  trees  were  small  and  of  each 
tree  he  made  an  arrow.  The  blunt  end  of  the  arrow  was 
the  part  near  the  roots. 

The  elder  brother  didn  't  know  that  the  arrows  were  trees. 
He  was  afraid  to  have  his  brother  go  in  search  of  their 
uncle.  He  didn't  think  he  could  find  him  and  if  he  did, 
he  thought  the  old  man  would  kill  him. 

While  the  young  man  was  making  his  arrows,  he  prac- 
tised running.  One  day  he  thought  he  heard  a  groan  under 
his  feet.  It  sounded  as  though  he  stepped  on  a  man  and 
hurt  him  badly.  Going  back  and  forth  he  found  the  spot 
the  groan  seemed  to  come  from.  He  dug  down  and  came 
to  a  living  man.  The  man's  face  was  covered  with  thick 
mold  and  there  was  no  flesh  on  his  body. 

The  young  man  carried  the  skeleton  home,  and  said  to 
his  brother,  "We  have  plenty  of  bear's  oil,  you  must  oil 
this  man  till  he  gets  his  natural  size."  The  man  could 
neither  see  nor  hear. 

The  next  morning  the  young  man  started  off  telling 
his  brother  to  stay  in  the  house  while  he  was  gone,  for  he 
should  bring  his  uncle  home  with  him.  He  ran  toward  the 
North  till  he  came  to  the  place  his  brother  had  described 
and  saw  a  terrible  Head  sitting  on  a  rock.  His  brother 
had  said,  ' '  You  must  speak  first.  If  the  Head  speaks  first, 
you  will  surely  die." 

The  young  man's  medicine  was  a  mole.  He  called  it, 
and  said,  "You  must  carry  me  under  the  ground  so  the 
leaves  will  not  rustle.  When  we  are  near  my  uncle,  let 
me  out." 

He  went  into  the  mole  and  it  ran  on  till  near  the  Head. 

When  the  young  man  saw  his  uncle,  he  was  frightened, 
but  he  sprang  from  the  mole  and  with  his  bow  string 
drawn,  cried  out,  "Uncle,   I've  come  for  you!" 

He  let  the  arrow  fly  and  as  it  whizzed  through  the  air 
it  grew  to  the  size  of  a  tree.    The  tree  hit  the  Head  above 


TWELVE  BROTHERS  AND  UNCLE     485 

the  eyes.  With  a  loud  laugh  the  Head  rolled  from  the 
rock  and  swept  along  in  the  air  leaving  behind  it  a  wide 
track  of  fallen  trees.  It  went  through  the  forest  as  a 
terrible  whirlwind. 

The  young  man  was  just  ahead,  running  very  fast. 
When  his  uncle  was  near  he  turned  and  shot  another 
arrow.  The  arrow  became  a  tree,  hit  the  Head  and  drove 
it  back  a  long  distance;  again  the  young  man  was  ahead. 
He  shot  an  arrow  whenever  he  was  in  danger  of  being 
overtaken.  Each  time  the  Head  was  driven  back  a  shorter 
distance;  Dagwanoedyent  gained  on  his  nephew  con- 
tinually. 

While  the  Head  was  still  a  long  way  off,  the  elder  brother 
heard  a  terrible  roar  and  knew  that  a  great  whirlwind 
was  coming;  he  said  to  himself,  "My  brother  has  found 
our  uncle  and  he  will  be  here  soon."  He  opened  the  skin- 
doors, — there  was  a  door  at  each  end  of  the  house,  and  put  a 
stone  pounder  against  each  door.    Then  he  built  a  big  fire. 

The  younger  brother  ran  into  the  house,  took  up  a 
pounder  and  when  his  uncle  came  down  at  the  threshold 
and  rolled  in,  both  brothers  began  pounding  him  and  they 
pounded  till  he  rolled  to  one  end  of  the  house  and  was 
silent. 

Then  the  younger  brother  said  to  him,  "I  have  brought 
you  here,  Uncle.  Now  you  must  stay  with  us  and  tell  us 
where  our  brothers  are." 

"I  can't  stay  here,"  said  the  Head,  "but  I  will  help 
you  and  your  brothers  will  come  back." 

The  elder  brother  had  rubbed  the  mold  from  the  head 
and  face  of  the  dug-up  man  and  had  found  that  he  was 
their  brother.  DAGWANOEnYENT  blew  on  his  nephew  and 
he  was  sound  and  well  again.  Now  there  were  three 
brothers  at  home. 

At  night  the  Head  stayed  outside  and  gnawed  the 
chunks  of  hickory  bark  that  his  nephew  had  prepared. 

After  a  few  days,  Dagwanoe^ent  said  to  his  youngest 
nephew,  "I  must  go  home,  but  first  I  will  take  you  to  the 
place  where  your  brothers'  bones  are." 

The  two  started  together.  The  Head,  springing  high 
from  the  ground,  made  long  leaps  and  didn't  stop  till 
it  brought  the  young  man  to  the  women  on  the  rock. 


486  SENECA    MYTHS 

As  they  came  to  the  women,  the  uncle  said,  "We  must 
kill  these  women. " 

They  wanted  to  make  him  laugh,  but  he  called  out, 
"Fall  and  be  bones!" 

The  women  were  enraged  by  the  words  and  tried  to  spit 
at  the  old  uncle,  but  he  repeated  the  words  and  the  third 
time  he  said  them  both  women  rolled  off  the  rock  and  as 
they  fell  their  bones  made  a  noise  like  the  pouring  out 
of  many  shells. 

"Scatter   their   bones!"  said   the  Head. 

The  young  man  gathered  the  bones  and  threw  them  in 
every  direction,  saying,  "Become,  such  and  such,  birds." 

They  became  the  birds  he  mentioned,  horned  owls,  hawks, 
crows  and  woodpeckers,  and  disappeared  in  the  air. 

"Now,"  said  the  Head,  "Gather  up  the  bones  that  are 
here  in  piles  and  make  as  many  bodies  as  you  can,  giving 
each  body  its  own  bones.  While  you  are  doing  this,  I'll 
go  off  a  long  distance  and  come  back  straight  over  the 
forest.  When  you  hear  the  roar  of  wind  and  see  trees 
falling,  cry  out  to  the  skeletons,  '  Rise  up  or  the  trees  will 
fall  on  you!'  They  will  obey  you,  I  will  pass  over  them 
and  go  to  my  own  home.  If  you  want  me  again,  you  can 
come  for  me." 

The  young  man  worked  as  fast  as  he  could.  When  all 
the  bones  were  used,  he  heard  the  roar  of  wind  and  knew 
that  his  uncle  was  coming.  Then  he  called  out,  "Rise  up 
or  the  trees  will  fall  on  you ! ' ' 

DAGWANOEnYENT,  with  a  terrible  roar,  swept  over  the 
skeletons  and  they  sprang  up,  men. 

In  two  of  the  skeletons  bones  had  been  interchanged. 
One  man,  who,  from  the  shape  of  his  feet,  had  been  called 
"Sharp-pointed  Moccasins"  had  but  one  of  his  own  feet. 
A  second  man  had  the  other.  Both  were  cripples.  One 
of  these  cripples,  a  man-eater,  had  been  enticed  from  a 
long  distance.  Right  away  he  wanted  to  begin  eating  his 
companions.  The  young  man  killed  him  with  one  blow. 
In  the  crowd  were  nine  of  the  twelve  brothers. 

Each  man  found  whatever  he  had  brought  with  him  and 
all  separated.  Those  who  did  not  know  where  their  homes 
were  went  with  the  brothers,  and  soon  the  twelve  brothers 
were  together  again  in  their  own  home. 


UNCLE   AND   NEPHEW 
[Told  by  Henry  Jacob] 


AN  uncle  and  nephew  lived  off  in  a  forest.  There  had 
been  a  large  family,  but  all  were  dead  except  the  two. 
The  uncle  and  nephew  were  the  last  of  their  race. 

One  day  the  uncle  said,  "My  nephew,  you  have  grown 
to  be  a  large  boy.  Now  you  must  learn  to  hunt.  You 
may  use  the  bow  and  arrows  that  I  used  when  I  was 
young." 

The  old  man  took  his  bow  from  the  wall  and  cleaned  it, 
for  it  was  smoky.  Then  he  said,  "We  will  make  a  trial  of 
shooting. ' ' 

They  went  out  together  and  the  uncle  tried  first,  shot 
at  a  tree  a  long  way  off.  The  nephew  made  a  good  shot 
and  the  uncle  said,  "That  was  well  done.  You  can  begin 
hunting.  You  must  hunt  between  sunrise  and  sunset  and 
always  keep  on  the  sunny  side,  never  go  North. ' ' 

The  boy  hadn't  been  out  long  when  he  killed  a  deer. 

When  he  took  it  home  his  uncle  thanked  him,  and  said, 
"We  can  live  now;  we  have  plenty  of  meat." 

He  cut  up  the  meat,  tied  bark  strings  around  the  pieces 
and  hung  them  up  to  dry. 

For  a  while  the  boy  brought  game  each  day,  then  it 
became  scarce  and  he  had  to  go  far  South  before  coming 
upon  any  animals. 

One  time  when  the  boy  was  sitting  around  in  the  house, 
his  uncle  said,  "When  I  was  young  I  had  something  to 
amuse  myself  with.    I  will  get  it  for  you." 

He  brought  a  flute  and  when  he  blew  on  it  the  flute 
talked,  said,  "To-morrow  you  will  kill  such  and  such 
game. ' ' 

The  boy  was  greatly  pleased,  and  soon  learned  to  play 
on  the  flute.     The  next  morning  he  started  off  hunting 

487 


488  SENECA    MYTHS 

and  sure  enough  he  killed  exactly  what  the  flute  said  he 
would. 

That  night,  after  the  boy  had  rested  from  hunting,  he 
took  his  flute,  and  again  it  said,  "You  will  kill  such  and 
such  game  to-morrow. ' '  Again  the  boy  killed  exactly  what 
the  flute  said. 

He  began  to  wonder  why  he  must  always  go  South.  At 
last  he  made  up  his  mind  to  go  North,  and,  making  a 
circuit,  he  was  soon  north  of  his  uncle's  cabin.  He  found 
elk  tracks,  followed  them  and  came  to  a  broad  opening 
and  in  the  opening  he  saw  an  elk;  he  ran  after  it,  ran 
in  a  circle,  and  came  out  in  the  opening. 

All  at  once  he  heard  a  woman  call,  ' '  Stop !  Stop ! ' '  but 
he  ran  on  full  speed,  after  the  elk,  and  again  he  came 
out  in  the  opening. 

A  second  time  the  woman  called,  "Stop!  Stop!  Wait 
and  rest." 

Looking  around,  the  boy  saw  that  the  woman  was  sitting 
on  a  fallen  tree.  She  called,  "Come  and  sit  down.  I 
know  you  are  tired.  When  you  have  rested  you  can  chase 
the  elk." 

He  sat  down  near  her  and  soon  his  head  was  on  her 
knees.  The  boy  had  very  long  hair,  so  long  that  he  kept 
it  tied  up,  for  when  he  let  it  down  it  swept  the  ground. 
Now  he  tied  one  of  his  hairs  to  a  root  in  the  ground. 
After  a  while  he  fell  asleep.  The  woman  put  him  in  a 
basket,  swung  the  basket  on  to  her  back  and  started  off 
on  a  run,  then  she  rose  in  the  air  and  ran  very  fast. 

The  hair  stretched  till  it  could  stretch  no  longer,  then  it 
pulled  them  back  to  the  place  they  started  from. 

The  woman  said  to  herself,  "There  is  witchcraft  about 
this  boy,  I  will  try  again." 

The  boy  wakened,  again  she  searched  in  his  hair  till  he 
closed  his  eyes, .then  she  asked,  "Are  you  asleep?" 

"I  am  not  asleep,"  said  the  boy. 

After  a  while  she  asked  again,  "Are  you  asleep?" 

He  didn't  answer;  he  was  asleep. 

The  woman  put  him  in  the  basket,  swung  it  on  to  her 
back,  ran  a  while,  then  rose  in  the  air.  When  she  had  gone 
a  long  distance  she  came  down  by  the  bank  of  a  river, 
roused  the  boy,  and  asked,  "Do  you  know  this  place?" 


UNCLE  AND  NEPHEW  489 

1 '  I  know  it,  my  uncle  and  I  used  to  come  here  to  fish. ' ' — 
He  had  never  been  there ;  he  wanted  to  deceive  the  woman. 

Again  she  put  him  to  sleep  and  again  she  rose  in  the 
air.  When  she  had  gone  a  long  distance  she  came  down 
on  an  island,  shook  the  boy,  roused  him  and  asked,  "Do 
you  know  this  place?" 

"I  know  it,  my  uncle  and  I  used  to  come  here." 

Again  she  put  him  to  sleep,  and  again  she  rose  in  the 
air;  this  time  she  carried  him  to  the  edge  of  a  ravine  that 
was  so  deep  that  the  tops  of  the  tallest  trees  that  grew  in  it 
could  not  be  seen. 

.  She  put  the  basket  down  on  the  very  edge  of  the  cliff, 
turned  it  over,  and  the  boy  went  headlong  into  the  ravine. 
He  fell  slowly,  for  he  had  power.  He  came  to  the  ground 
unhurt,  but  he  could  find  no  way  of  escape.  The  sides 
of  the  ravine  were  like  a  wall. 

The  uncle  waited  and  waited.  At  last  he  said  to  him- 
self, "It  is  late.  Something  has  happened.  My  nephew 
is  not  coming  home.    I  must  find  out  what  the  trouble  is." 

He  took  the  flute  down  and  saw  that  the  mouth-piece 
was  bloody.  Then  he  said,  "They  have  beaten  my  poor 
nephew,  trouble  has  come  to  him."  As  there  wasn't  much 
blood  he  thought,  "Maybe  he  will  free  himself  and  come 
back." 

The  nephew  lay  down  among  the  rocks  in  the  deep,  blind 
ravine  and  tried  to  sleep,  but  could  not.  All  at  once  he 
heard  a  great  bird  coming.  As  it  swept  past  him,  it  caught 
a  mouthful  of  flesh  out  of  his  arm.  He  spat  on  his  arm, 
rubbed  and  cured  it.  When  the  bird  had  been  gone  a 
while,  he  heard  it  coming  again,  and  as  it  flew  past,  it  took 
a  second  bite  out  of  his  arm.  He  spat  on  the  arm,  rubbed 
and  cured  it. 

When  daylight  came  the  boy  stood  up  and  looking 
around  saw  bones  and  skeletons  on  every  side,  and  one  man 
just  alive.  He  said  to  himself,  "I  suppose  I  shall  die  here 
just  as  these  men  have  died." 

That  morning  the  uncle  looked  at  the  flute  and  seeing 
that  there  was  more  blood  on  it  than  before,  he  gave  up 
his  nephew  as  lost.  In  despair  he  sat  down  and  cried, 
meanwhile  scattering  ashes  over  his  head  and  shoulders. 

The  second  night  the  bird  flew  past  twice,  each  time 


490  SENECA    MYTHS 

taking  a  piece  of  flesh  out  of  the  boy's  arm.  When  the 
bird  had  gone,  the  boy  fell  asleep  and  dreamed. 

In  his  dream  he  heard  an  old  woman 's  voice  say, ' '  Grand- 
son. I  have  come  to  help  you,  you  think  you  are  going  to 
die;  but  you  are  not.  Just  at  sunrise  you  will  vomit.  If 
you  vomit  up  something  that  looks  like  a  hemlock  leaf 
you  may  know  that  you  are  going  to  escape  from  here. 
Pick  up  the  leaf,  stick  it  in  the  ground  and  sing.  As  you 
sing  the  leaf  will  become  a  tree.  Sit  on  one  of  the  limbs 
and  keep  on  singing.  The  tree  will  grow  till  it  reaches 
the  top  of  the  cliff,  then  jump  off  and  run." 

Just  at  sunrise  the  next  morning  the  boy  vomited  as  the 
woman  of  the  dream  had  said  he  would,  and  he  found  a 
little  hemlock  leaf.  He  stuck  the  leaf  in  the  ground  near 
the  wall  of  the  ravine  and  began  to  sing.  The  leaf  became 
a  tree,  and  as  the  boy  sang  the  tree  grew  higher  and  higher. 
He  didn't  sit  on  a  limb  of  the  tree,  but  stayed  below 
and  sang  till  the  tree  was  higher  than  the  top  of  the  cliff, 
then  he  gathered  all  the  skeletons  and  bones  into  a  pile 
and  going  to  a  great  hickory  tree  which  stood  near  he 
pushed  it,  and  called  out,  "Rise  up  and  run  or  the  tree 
will  fall  on  you!" 

The  bones  became  living  men  and  the  men  sprang  up  and 
ran  away  from  the  tree.  Two  of  them  had  unequal  legs, 
each  had  a  leg  that  belonged  to  the  other. 

The  boy  said  to  the  crowd,  "Now  you  must  follow  me  up 
this  tree  to  the  bank  above.  You  must  not  look  back, 
if  you  do  you  will  fall." 

The  limbs  of  the  tree  were  near  together,  like  a  ladder, 
and  the  men  climbed  easily. 

The  two  men  with  one  leg  short  and  one  leg  long  were 
behind.  After  climbing  quite  a  distance  one  of  them  looked 
back  to  see  how  high  up  he  was.  Right  away  he  turned 
to  bones  and  the  bones,  rattling  through  the  limbs  of  the 
tree,  fell  to  the  ground. 

Now  there  was  but  one  man  with  uneven  legs.  He 
went  on  till  near  the  top  of  the  cliff,  then  he  looked  back. 
Right  away  he  turned  to  bones  and  the  bones,  rattling 
through  the  branches  of  the  tree,  fell  to  the  ground. 

When  the  boy  was  some  distance  away  from  the  cliff, 
he  said  to  the  men  who  were  with  him,  "Stay  here  while 


UNCLE  AND  NEPHEW  491 

I  go  and  bring  the  woman,  who  has  done  all  this  mischief. 
She  has  a  mother,  who  is  a  wizard.  We  will  punish  them 
both." 

He  started  off  and  hadn't  gone  far  when  he  came  to  the 
house  of  the  woman  who  had  deceived  him.  He  sat  down 
by  her,  and  said,  ' '  I  have  come ! ' ' 

Soon  her  mother  came  in,  and  said,  "I  am  glad  that 
my  son-in-law  has  come." 

That  night  the  young  man  heard  the  old  woman  groan- 
ing. She  crawled  out  of  bed  on  her  hands  and  knees  and 
rolled  around  on  the  ground.  He  took  a  corn-pounder, 
struck  her,  and  said,  "Mother-in-law,  wake  up  and  tell  us 
your  dream." 

She  stood  up,  and  said,  "I  dreamed  that  my  son-in-law 
must  kill  the  two  white  otters  that  are  in  the  lake." 

"Go  to  sleep,"  said  the  young  man,  "I  will  do  that 
to-morrow. ' ' 

The  woman  went  back  to  her  blankets.  In  the  morning 
she  said,  "You  must  kill  the  two  white  otters  in  the  lake 
and  bring  them  home  before  the  door  stops  shaking  after 
you  have  slammed  it  in  going  out.  If  you  don't,  some- 
thing bad  will  happen." 

The  young  man  tied  one  of  his  long  hairs  to  the  door, 
and,  unknown  to  his  mother-in-law,  kept  pulling  it  to 
make  the  door  tremble. 

He  reached  the  bank  of  the  lake  and  called  to  the  otters. 
They  came  in  sight.  He  threw  a  round  stone,  which  he  had 
in  his  pocket,  at  one  of  the  otters  and  killed  it.  Great 
waves  rose  up  and  rushed  towards  him.  The  second  otter 
came  near,  on  the  top  of  a  wave.  He  threw  the  second 
stone  and  killed  the  second  otter,  then  the  waves  went 
back. 

When  the  young  man  came  to  the  house,  he  called  out, 
"Here,  Mother-in-law,  are  your  two  otters!" 

"Where?"   asked  she,   "Where?" 

The  two  otters  were  her  brothers. 

The  young  man's  uncle  thought  he  was  dead  and  often 
he  sat  in  front  of  the  fire  and,  with  a  handful  of  ashes 
in  each  hand,  held  his  hands  above  his  head  and  let  the 
ashes  fall  over  his  hair  and  face. 

At  night  he  often  heard  some  one  coming.     Then   a 


492  SENECA    MYTHS 

voice  called  out,  ''Uncle,  I  have  come!"  The  old  man 
jumped  up,  brushed  off  the  ashes,  went  to  the  door  and 
opened  it  only  to  find  a  fox  or  an  owl.  At  last  he  made 
up  his  mind  not  to  be  deceived  again. 

The  night  after  the  otters  were  killed,  the  old  woman 
groaned  and  rolled  around  on  the  ground.  The  young 
man  hit  her  with  the  corn-pounder.  She  woke  up,  and 
said,  "I  dreamed  that  my  son-in-law  must  kill  the  bird 
on  the  top  of  the  tall  tree." 

"Go  to  sleep,  Mother-in-law.  I  will  do  that  in  the 
morning. ' ' 

In  the  morning  she  said,  "If  you  get  back  after  the 
door,  that  you  slam  in  going  out,  stops  swinging,  something 
bad  will  happen." 

The  young  man  fixed  the  door  as  before,  and  going  to 
the  tall  tree  saw,  on  the  very  top,  a  black  eagle.  He  drew 
his  bow.  The  first  arrow  that  he  sent  went  almost  to  the 
top  of  the  tree,  but  was  driven  back  by  the  power  of  the 
eagle. 

He  sent  a  second  arrow.  It  struck  the  eagle  in  the 
heart  and  brought  it  to  the  ground. 

The  young  man  picked  up  the  bird  and  ran  to  the  house. 
When  he  came  he  called  out,  "Mother-in-law,  here  is  your 
eagle!" 

"Whu!  Whu!"  said  she.  The  eagle  was  her  third 
brother  and  had  always  fed  on  men  killed  by  his  sister 
and  nieces. 

"Come  outside,"  said  the  young  man  to  his  wife. 

When  she  was  outside,  he  fastened  up  the  house,  walked 
around  it,  and  said,  "I  want  this  house  to  turn  to  stone," 
and  immediately  it  was  stone.  The  old  woman  and  three 
of  her  daughters  were  inside. 

They  cried  out,  ' '  Have  pity  on  us !    Have  pity  on  us ! " 

"You  had  no  pity  on  me,"  said  the  young  man,  and  he 
left  them  to  smother. 

Then  with  his  wife  he  went  to  the  men  near  the  ravine 
and  said  to  them,  "I  have  brought  back  this  woman.  She 
is  the  one  who  threw  us  over  the  precipice  to  die  in  the 
ravine. ' ' 

They  stripped  a  wide  piece  of  bark  from  a  tree,  tied  the 
woman  on  it,  with  bark  straps,  and  placed  it  against  a  tree. 


UNCLE  AND  NEPHEW  493 

Then  the  men  gathered  wood,  piled  it  around  her  and 
burned  her  up. 

The  young  man  had  two  brothers  among  the  men  he 
had  rescued.  He  told  the  other  men  to  go  to  their  own 
homes.  Then,  with  his  brothers  he  went  to  his  uncle's 
house.  When  near  they  heard  the  old  man  crying.  They 
listened;  he  stopped  crying  and  began  to  sing,  "Ten  Sum- 
mers I  will  mourn  for  him." 

The  door  was  fastened.  The  young  man  called  out, 
"Uncle,  I  have  come,  let  me  in!" 

"Be  off!"  answered  the  old  man.  "You  have  deceived 
me  times  enough." 

The  nephew  begged  to  be  let  in,  said  he  had  his  brothers 
with  him. 

"Be  off!"  cried  the  uncle.  Then  he  relented,  made  a 
hole  in  the  skin-door,  and  said,  "Put  your  arm  in,  I  will 
see  if  you  are  my  nephew." 

The  young  man  put  his  arm  through  the  hole.  The  old 
man  tied  it  to  the  door  with  a  bark  string,  then  he  opened 
the  door  cautiously.  , 

When  he  saw  his  nephew,  he  cried  out,  Wait,  till  1 
clean  up  a  little." 

He  brushed  off  the  ashes,  then  he  welcomed  his  nephews, 
and  they  lived  happily  together. 


A  MAN  CHASED  BY  THE  ANCIENT  OF 
LIZARDS 


Characters 


Dagwanoedyent Big  Head  (Whirlwind) 

Ogedhwan  Gnat 

Swe^edaigea Hawk  (Hen-hawk) 

Gasyondetha Meteor 

Nyagwaihe The  Ancient  of  Bears 

Oshada Mist  or  Dusty  Vapor 

Dzainos  gowa.  .Blue  Lizard,  the  Ancient  of  Lizards 


ONCE  there  was  a  large  village  where  people  lived 
happily  and  had  plenty  of  meat.  At  the  end  of  the 
village  lived  a  man  whom  few  persons  noticed. 

One  night  that  man  had  a  dream.  His  dream  said, 
"Something  is  going  to  happen  to  the  people  of  this  vil- 
lage.   You  must  tell  them  to  move  away  within  ten  days." 

The  next  morning  the  man  went  to  the  center  of  the 
village,  gathered  the  people  and  told  his  dream.  Some 
believed  in  the  dream  others  did  not.  Five  days  later 
those  who  had  believed  joined  those  who  had  not,  and 
paid  no  heed  to  the  dream. 

The  fifth  night  the  man  dreamed  again  and  his  dream 
said,  ' '  We  know  that  the  people  do  not  heed  your  warning. 
But  save  yourself.  Three  days  from  now  take  all  your 
arrows  and  climb  the  hill  on  the  east  side  of  the  village 
till  you  come  to  a  large  rock.  The  rock  is  hollow.  Go 
inside  of  it  and  you  will  find  a  hole  in  the  ground.    Look 

494 


MAN  CHASED  BY  LIZARDS  495 

through  the  hole  and  you  will  see  all  that  is  going  on  in 
the  village. 

"The  people  will  be  destroyed  by  Big  Head.  Five 
days  from  now,  at  midday,  there  will  be  a  terrible  outcry. 
When  the  cry  dies  away,  you  must  begin  to  shoot  through 
the  hole,  for  as  soon  as  the  people  are  destroyed  the 
monster  will  track  you.  You  will  save  your  life  if  you 
shoot  all  your  arrows  at  it  before  it  reaches  the  hole. 

"When  the  monster  is  dead,  take  from  the  back  of  its 
head  a  piece  of  skin  together  with  the  hair,  which  is  very 
long.  The  skin  will  be  of  use  to  you,  for  it  has  great 
power.  Wind  the  hair  around  your  body  next  to  your 
skin  and  declare  that  there  is  nothing  that  you  cannot  do. 

"At  night,  when  it  is  dark  enough  not  to  be  seen,  go 
North  a  short  distance  and  you  will  find  a  tree  turned  up 
by  the  roots.  You  must  not  be  frightened.  I  shall  give 
you  something  which  will  be  of  great  use  to  you." 

After  this  dream  the  man  was  gloomy  and  unhappy. 
When  the  time  came,  he  took  his  bundle  of  arrows  and  left 
the  village.  He  didn't  take  his  wife  or  children  for  they 
did  not  believe  in  the  dream.  Just  at  sunset  he  came  to 
a  large  rock  on  the  side  of  the  hill.  He  found  the  opening 
and  going  into  it  crept  along  till  he  thought  he  was  under 
the  center  of  the  rock.  There  he  found  a  space  high  enough 
for  him  to  stand  in.    He  lay  down  and  slept. 

The  next  morning  a  deer  was  standing  near  the  opening. 
He  killed  it,  roasted  some  of  the  meat  and  ate  it. 

The  fifth  day,  as  the  man  sat  on  the  rock,  he  heard  a 
great  noise  coming  from  the  South.  As  the  sound  ap- 
proached the  village  he  saw  something  that  looked  like 
smoke,  saw  that  trees  were  falling,  and  falling  toward  the 
village. 

When  the  noise  reached  the  village,  the  man  took  his 
position  opposite  the  opening  in  the  ground.  It  seemed 
to  him  that  the  village  was  right  at  hand.  He  heard  the 
screaming  of  the  people  and  saw  the  cabins  torn  to  pieces 
and  hurled  into  the  air. 

Big  Head  missed  one  man,  and  when  all  the  others  were 
destroyed  he  laughed,  and  said,  "This  world  is  not  large 
enough  for  him  to  hide  in." 

When  the  man  saw  that  trees  were  falling  toward  the 


496  SENECA    MYTHS 

East,  he  knew  that  Big  Head  had  found  his  trail,  and  he 
strung  his  bow  and  began  to  shoot  through  the  hole  as 
rapidly  as  possible.  When  only  two  arrows  were  left,  he 
saw  a  great  black  Head  not  far  away.  He  shot  his  last 
arrow;  the  roar  ceased,  the  Head  fell  and  he  heard  it  say, 
"You  have  killed  me!" 

The  man  went  to  where  the  Head  lay  and  found  in  it 
every  arrow  he  had  shot.  "I  must  do  as  my  dream  said," 
thought  he,  so  he  took  a  part  of  the  scalp,  tied  it  around  his 
body  and  said,  "You  must  always  help  me.  You  must  not 
let  me  be  overpowered  by  anyone." 

He  climbed  to  the  top  of  the  hill  quickly,  for  now  he 
could  go  very  fast.  He  found  a  good  place  and  built  a 
brush  hut.  "I  must  have  plenty  of  meat,"  thought  he, 
and  going  out  he  saw  deer,  bears  and  all  kinds  of  game. 
He  killed  what  he  wanted.  To  skin  the  deer  and  bears  he 
had  merely  to  take  hold  of  the  skin  of  the  head  and  pull ; 
with  no  effort  the  skin  came  from  the  whole  carcass.  He 
made  a  brush  shed  and  hung  the  meat  up  to  dry. 

When  it  began  to  grow  dark,  the  man  started  toward 
the  North,  as  his  dream  had  told  him  to  do.  He  had  not 
gone  far  when  he  came  to  a  fallen  tree,  the  roots  turned 
out  of  the  ground.  When  half  way  around  the  tree,  he 
saw  Meteor  with  his  great  mouth  open. 

When  Meteor  saw  that  the  man  wasn't  frightened  he 
laughed  and  said,  "Take  one  of  my  teeth,  it  will  be  of 
great  use  to  you.  It  will  enable  you  to  change  yourself 
into  any  form  you  like. ' ' 

The  man  took  a  double  tooth,  the  one  farthest  back  in 
Meteor's  jaw. 

Then  Meteor  said,  "You  will  live  always  and  you  will 
have  great  power,  but  you  and  I  must  always  counsel  with 
each  other.    Now  we  will  part." 

Meteor  flew  off  through  the  air  and  the  man  went  back 
to  his  hut.  He  made  up  his  mind  that  the  hut  would  be 
his  home.  He  stayed  there  a  long  time  then  getting  lone- 
some, he  said  to  himself,  "I  will  go  and  see  if  I  can  find 
people  anywhere." 

He  turned  into  a  hawk  and  flew  toward  the  southwest. 
As  he  rose  high  in  the  air  he  looked  down  on  the  ground. 
After  a  while  he  saw,  in  the  West,  something  that  made 


MAN  CHASED  BY  LIZARDS  497 

him  think  people  were  living  there.  Then  he  began  to  come 
down.  He  came  lower  and  lower  and  when  near  the  ground 
saw  a  village.  He  said  to  himself,  "I  will  eat  up  the 
people  who  live  in  that  village." 

He  turned  into  a  great  bear  and,  beginning  at  the  first 
house,  ate  up  every  person  he  could  find.  When  he  thought 
he  had  eaten  everybody,  he  saw,  off  at  the  edge  of  the 
village,  a  little  hut  with  smoke  rising  from  it.  In  the  hut 
he  found  a  man  and  woman  and  several  children.  He  ate 
them  all. 

"I  have  finished,"  said  he,  and  changed  himself  to  a 
man. 

He  stood  around  a  while,  then,  seeing  a  trail  he  followed 
it,  but  had  not  gone  far  when  he  met  a  woman  who  was 
very  handsome. 

" Where  do  you  liver'  asked  he. 

1  '  Over  there  in  the  cabin  at  the  edge  of  the  village. ' ' 

"You  had  better  go  home  with  me  for  there  is  no  one 
living  in  that  cabin.     All  the  people  are  dead." 

"I  must  see  first,"  said  the  woman. 

They  went  back  to  the  village  and  to  the  hut  where  he 
had  found  the  man,  woman,  and  children.  She  was  the 
eldest  child  of  the  family.  Seeing  blood  on  the  ground 
she  began  to  cry.  The  man  put  his  hand  on  the  top  of 
her  head.  That  minute  she  was  senseless.  He  shook  her 
and  as  he  shook  she  became  a  gnat.  He  changed  himself 
to  a  hawk  and  putting  the  gnat  under  his  wing  flew  up 
and  off  in  the  direction  of  his  hut.  He  got  there  quickly, 
then  he  changed  to  a  man  and  shook  the  gnat  back  to  her 
natural  form  and  size. 

"This  is  your  home,"  said  he,  "You  must  take  care  of 
the  meat  and  the  house." 

One  night  while  the  two  were  sitting  in  the  hut,  the  man 
heard  a  noise  outside  as  though  someone  were  coming  on 
a  run.  The  door  was  pushed  open  and  a  man  came  in,  and 
said,  "I  have  come  to  warn  you.  You  have  made  yourself 
into  two.  Nyagwaihe  (the  Ancient  of  Bears) — is  jealous 
of  you  and  has  said,  '  There  is  a  man  over  there  who  is  very 
powerful,  but  I  will  overpower  him  and  eat  him. '  ' ' 

"To-morrow  the  Bear  will  come.  You  must  go  East 
till  you  reach  a  high  stony  hill.    When  the  Bear  tries  to 


498  SENECA    MYTHS 

attack  you,  jump  from  one  rock  to  another.  It  will  spring 
after  you.  When  it  falls,  you  may  feel  safe.  This  is 
what  I  had  to  tell  you.    Now  I  will  go." 

The  next  morning  the  woman  saw  that  her  husband  was 
gloomy  and  sad. 

1  'What  is  the  matter?"  asked  she. 

"lam  thinking  of  what  will  happen  to  me  at  midday." 

The  woman  had  neither  seen  nor  heard  the  man  who 
spoke  to  her  husband  though  she  was  right  there  in  the  hut. 
He  and  the  man  who  came  to  him  were  so  powerful  in 
spirit  that  they  alone  heard  and  saw  each  other. 

When  it  was  nearly  midday,  the  man  started  for  the 
rocks,  leaving  his  wife.  He  seated  himself  on  the  highest 
rock  and  waited.  Just  at  midday  he  heard  a  great  noise, 
then  another  nearer ;  the  third  was  right  at  the  rock. 

There  was  a  whoop  and  a  voice  said,  ' '  I  am  the  strongest 
of  the  strong.    Nothing  can  overpower  me." 

It  was  Nyagwaihe  (the  Ancient  of  Bears).  The  Bear 
leaped  on  to  the  rock  where  the  man  stood.  The  man 
sprang  to  the  next  rock,  the  Bear  close  behind  him.  In 
this  way  they  sprang  from  one  rock  to  another  till  the  man 
was  tired.  As  he  looked  ahead,  the  next  rock  looked  farther 
off  than  the  others  had  been.  He  made  a  great  effort  and 
just  reached  it.  The  Bear  was  right  behind  him.  It 
sprang,  but  falling  short,  hit  its  jaws  on  the  edge  of  the 
rock  and  went  down. 

The  man  jumped  to  the  ground.  As  he  struck  the  ground 
he  looked  back  and  saw  the  rock  he  had  just  left  turn  over 
on  to  the  Bear. 

"That  is  what  I  said,"  thought  the  man.  "There  is 
nothing  that  can  overpower  me. ' ' 

He  went  back  to  his  hut.    He  was  very  happy. 

One  day  when  the  man  and  woman  were  sitting  by  the 
fire,  they  heard  somebody  approaching  the  hut.  The  man 
opened  the  door  and  saw  the  friend  who  had  twice  warned 
him  of  danger.     The  woman  saw  him  too. 

The  man  said,  "Your  life  is  in  danger  but  I  will  try 
and  save  you.  Rub  your  wife's  head  with  your  hands, 
she  will  turn  to  oshada  (oshada  is  like  the  dusty  vapor 
flying  on  a  road  in  dry  weather).  Tell  her  to  follow  you 
wherever  you  go,  but  she  must  leave  the  hut  before  you 


MAN  CHASED  BY  LIZARDS  499 

do,  you  will  stay  here  as  long  as  you  can,  then  run  directly 
South.    I  am  going  now,  but  I  will  come  to  you  again." 

In  the  morning  the  man  rubbed  the  woman's  head  and 
said,  "Let  my  wife  become  a  dusty  vapor." 

While  he  rubbed,  she  became  a  vapor  on  his  hand.  With 
his  other  hand  he  brushed  the  vapor  off  in  the  direction 
it  was  to  go.  Then  he  piled  up  his  meat  and  said  in  a 
loud  voice,  "I  give  this  meat  to  you  flesh-eating  animals 
that  live  in  the  woods." 

He  went  southward  from  the  hut  to  an  elm  tree  that 
was  smooth  up  to  where  it  branched  off.  He  climbed  the 
tree  and  sat  in  the  crotch.  Soon  he  began  to  feel  weak, 
and  he  thought,  "There  must  be  something  near."  He 
looked  everywhere  but  saw  no  one. 

Taking  out  the  Meteor  tooth  he  dampened  it  with  saliva, 
rubbed  his  finger  over  it,  then  rubbed  his  eyes,  and  said, 
"Now  I  can  see  everything  that  is  going  on,  even  down  in 
the  ground." 

He  looked  into  the  earth  and  saw,  deep  down,  a  tree 
and  on  the  tree  was  a  monster  Lizard.  He  watched  it  as 
it  climbed  slowly  up  the  tree.  When  it  was  near  the  top 
the  man  grew  very  faint. 

The  Lizard  was  the  largest  of  the  ancient  blue  Lizards 
(Dzainos  gowa).  It  came  out  of  the  ground  in  the  heart 
of  the  tree  that  the  man  was  sitting  on.  The  man  leaped 
to  another  tree. 

That  instant  the  Lizard  was  where  the  man  had  been 
sitting  and  it  called  out,  "You  are  smart  but  I  shall  over- 
power you." 

It  sprang  toward  the  man;  the  man  leaped  to  another 
tree  and  then  from  tree  to  tree,  the  Lizard  following. 

At  the  edge  of  a  hill  was  a  great  rock.  The  man  ran  to 
the  rock  and  from  the  rock  leaped  into  the  air  and  came 
down  on  a  mountain  far  away.  He  ran  directly  south 
along  the  ridge  of  the  mountain,  then  went  down  on  the 
opposite  side  to  a  wide  valley.  He  ran  across  the  valley 
and  had  begun  to  climb  a  second  mountain  when  he  heard 
the  Lizard  coming  down  the  mountain  he  had  just  de- 
scended on  the  other  side  of  the  valley.  It  was  dark  now 
but  the  man  continued  to  run,  ran  all  night. 

In  the  morning  he  saw  an  opening  on  the  other  side  of 


500  SENECA    MYTHS 

which  was  a  low  hill,  and  smoke  of  some  kind.  He  reached 
the  foot  of  the  hill  and  turning  saw  the  Lizard  had  just 
come  to  the  opening.  It  raised  its  paw  and  struck  the 
man's  footprint  on  the  trail.  That  instant  the  man  fell 
to  the  ground.  As  he  fell  his  friend  was  there  and  said, 
''Get  up!    You  will  die  if  you  fall  in  this  way." 

He  lifted  him  and  pushed  him  into  a  run,  urging  him 
to  hurry.  The  man  felt  stronger  and  again  ran  fast  from 
valley  to  valley,  the  Lizard  always  about  the  same  distance 
behind. 

All  at  once  the  man  fell  again.  Right  away  his  friend 
was  there.  He  lifted  him  to  his  feet  saying,  "Keep  up 
courage,"  and  pushed  him  into  a  run.  Again  he  felt 
stronger  and  ran  faster. 

It  was  a  very  dark  night;  he  ran  against  a  great  maple 
tree.  As  he  hit  the  tree  he  went  straight  through.  This 
happened  many  times  in  the  night.  Whenever  the  man 
hit  a  tree  he  went  through  it. 

For  eight  days  and  nights  the  Lizard  chased  the  man. 
When  it  found  out  that  he  went  through  trees  it  threw  its 
power  ahead  and  made  the  trees  so  hard  that  the  man 
could  no  longer  go  through  them. 

The  ninth  night  the  Lizard  commanded  a  terrible  rain 
storm  to  come  and  the  night  to  be  so  dark  that  the  man 
couldn't  see  where  he  was  going.  The  man  ran  till  mid- 
night without  once  hitting  a  tree.  Just  at  midnight  he 
hit  one  and  was  thrown  far  back. 

That  moment  his  friend  was  there,  and  said,  "Do  all 
you  can, ' '  and  taking  hold  of  his  hand  he  led  him  and  they 
went  faster  than  the  man  had  gone  alone. 

The  two  ran  together  till  daylight,  then  the  friend  left 
and  the  man  went  on  alone.  He  began  to  be  very  weak. 
The  Lizard  was  coming  nearer  and  its  strokes  on  the  tracks 
were  more  frequent ;  the  man  fell  oftener. 

Night  came  and  the  Lizard  made  it  terribly  dark.  The 
man  ran  against  a  tree  and  bounded  far  back.  The  Lizard 
was  so  near  that  the  man  fell  behind  him.  The  Lizard 
struck  the  tree  and  was  thrown  back  also.  The  man  was 
up  and  running  forward  again.  The  Lizard  was  just  upon 
him  and  was  reaching  out  to  seize  him  when  the  man  fell, 
as  it  seemed  to  him,  into  a  hole  in  the  ground.    He  thought, 


MAN  CHASED  BY  LIZARDS  501 

"Well,  I  am  near  my  end;  when  I  strike  I  shall  be  dashed 
to  pieces." 

He  kept  falling  and  as  he  fell  he  got  sleepy.  Looking 
up  he  saw  the  Lizard  coming  down  on  the  side  of  the  hole, 
winding  around  and  around.  The  man  fell  asleep.  After 
a  time  he  woke  up  and  was  still  falling  and  the  Lizard  was 
still  pursuing  him. 

At  last  the  man  landed  on  his  feet.  He  seemed  to  have 
come  out  of  the  hole.  He  looked  around  and  saw  a  beau- 
tiful country.  "My  friend  told  me  to  go  toward  the 
South,"  thought  he,  and  he  ran  on  in  that  direction. 

As  the  man  ran  he  knew  that  the  Lizard  was  behind 
him  coming  very  fast.  "Now  I  shall  die,"  thought  he. 
He  closed  his  eyes  and  kept  on,  thinking,  ' '  I  will  not  see 
when  it  reaches  me." 

He  ran  a  long  time,  then  opened  his  eyes  and  looked 
around.  He  didn't  see  the  Lizard  but  he  kept  running. 
Soon  he  came  to  a  house  and  going  in  found  an  old  man. 

The  old  man  looked  up  and  said,  "My  grandson,  I  am 
glad  you  have  come.  I  have  been  waiting  for  you.  You 
are  bringing  with  you  what  I  have  wanted  to  eat.  Stand 
back  there,  Lizard  and  I  will  fight  alone.  We  will  see  if 
he  is  as  powerful  as  he  thinks  he  is. ' ' 

The  Lizard  came  to  the  house  and  asked,  "Where  is  the 
man  I  have  been  chasing?" 

"Here  I  am,"  answered  the  old  man. 

"You  are  not  the  man." 

**I  am,  but  if  you  think  there  is  another  man  here,  you 
will  not  hunt  for  him  till  you  overpower  me." 

"Come  outside,"  said  the  Lizard,  "there  isn't  room 
in  here." 

"Very  well,"  said  the  old  man  and  getting  up  he  went 
outside.  They  began  to  fight.  The  Lizard  tore  the  old 
man's  flesh.  It  came  together  again  and  healed.  The  old 
man  tore  off  Lizard's  forelegs,  but  Lizard  didn't  give  up; 
the  two  fought  till  Lizard  was  torn  to  pieces. 

When  the  old  man  convinced  himself  that  the  pieces 
were  not  alive,  he  hung  them  up  in  the  house  and  called 
to  his  grandson,  "Come  out!  I  have  killed  the  Lizard 
that  you  were  afraid  of.  I  have  been  wishing  for  this  kind 
of  meat  for  a  long  time." 


502  SENECA    MYTHS 

The  old  man  boiled  some  of  the  meat  in  a  large  kettle. 
In  a  small  kettle  he  cooked  bear  meat  for  his  grandson. 

While  the  meat  was  cooking,  he  put  corn  in  a  pounder 
and  with  a  few  strokes  it  was  flour.  Then  he  made  bread 
and  began  eating. 

When  he  had  eaten  every  bit  of  the  great  Lizard,  he 
said,  "I  thank  you,  my  grandson,  this  meat  will  last  me 
for  many  years.  You  must  stay  here  till  you  are  rested 
and  cured,  for  you  have  been  poisoned  by  the  power  of 
the  Lizard.' ' 

The  old  man  was  the  oldest  of  the  Flying  Meteors.  One 
day  he  said  to  the  man,  "I  want  you  to  see  what  I  have 
planted." 

They  went  a  short  distance  from  the  cabin  to  a  field 
where  something  was  growing. 

"This  is  ones  (corn),"  said  the  old  man. 

There  were  tall  stalks  with  ears  on  them  as  long  as  the 
man  was  tall  and  the  kernels  were  as  large  as  a  man's 
head. 

The  old  man  said,  "Let  us  go  to  the  other  side  of  the 
field." 

There  the  man  saw  a  field  where  different  kinds  of  corn 
were  growing. 

They  went  to  a  third  field  where  something  was  grow- 
ing and  the  old  man  said,  "These  are  squashes."  They 
were  very  large. 

They  passed  the  squash  field  and  went  back  to  the  cabin. 

The  next  day  the  man  said  good-bye  to  his  grandfather 
and  started  for  home.  He  traveled  till  he  came  to  a  village. 
He  went  to  the  chief's  house  and  a  woman  who  was  there 
looked  at  him,  then  asked,  "Have  you  ever  heard  of  a 
man  who  sent  his  wife  away  in  the  form  of  vapor  f ' ' 

He  thought  a  little  while,  then  remembered,  and  an- 
swered, "I  have.    I  did  that  myself." 

"I  am  your  wife,"  said  the  woman. 

The  man  had  had  so  much  trouble  that  he  had  forgotten 
about  his  wife,  but  he  was  glad  to  find  her.  They  went 
home  together  and  lived  happily. 


THE  GKEAT  BEAE  AND  THE  SIX  HUNTERS, 

OR 

THE  SEVEN  STARS  OF  THE  DIPPER 


SIX  men  went  out  hunting,  for  a  long  time  they  found 
no  game.  One  of  their  number  said  he  was  sick  (he 
was  lazy)  and  they  had  to  make  a  litter  of  two  poles  and 
a  blanket,  and  four  carried  him.  The  sixth  member  of  the 
party  came  behind  bringing  the  kettle.  Besides  this  each 
man  had  his  own  load  to  carry. 

At  last,  when  the  hunters  were  getting  very  hungry,  they 
came  upon  bear  tracks.  They  were  so  hungry  that  when 
they  saw  the  tracks  they  dropped  their  companion  and 
their  burdens  and  each  man  ran  as  fast  as  he  could  after 
the  bear. 

At  first  the  tracks  looked  old  but  they  thought,  "We 
will  overtake  the  bear  sometime.' ' 

Later  they  saw  that  the  tracks  couldn't  be  more  than 
three  days  old.  The  farther  the  men  went  the  fresher  the 
tracks  were  till  the  men  said,  "To-morrow  we  will  over- 
take the  bear." 

The  man  they  had  carried  so  long  was  not  tired  and 
when  they  dropped  him  and  he  knew  he  was  going  to  be 
left  he  jumped  up  and  ran  on  after  them.  As  he  was 
fresher  than  they  were  he  soon  passed  them  and  killed 
the  bear. 

The  men  in  their  race  after  the  bear  didn't  notice  that 
they  were  going  up  all  the  time.  Many  people  saw  them 
in  the  air,  as  they  ran  along,  always  rising. 

When  they  overtook  the  bear  and  the  lazy  man,  they 
had  reached  the  sky  and  there  they  have  remained  to  this 
day  and  can  be  seen  any  starlit  night.  The  man  who 
carried  the  kettle  is  in  the  bend  of  the  Dipper,  the  middle 

503 


504  SENECA    MYTHS 

star  in  the  handle  and  a  small  star  which  is  the  only  one 
near  any  other  of  the  Dipper  stars  is  the  kettle.  The 
Bear  is  at  the  lower  outside  corner.  Every  Autumn,  when 
the  first  frost  comes,  one  can  see  on  the  leaves  of  the  oak- 
tree  drops  of  oil,  not  water,  and  this  is  the  oil  and  blood 
of  the  Bear. 

On  seeing  it  the  Indians  say,  "The  lazy  man  has  killed 
the  Bear." 


THE  CHIPMUNK  AND  THE  BEAR 


THE  Bear  thought  herself  a  very  powerful  creature  and 
was  always  trying  to  exhibit  her  strength  before  other 
animals. 

One  day  she  got  into  a  dispute  with  a  Chipmunk  and 
the  Chipmunk  asked,  "Why  do  you  boast  so  much?  You 
have  no  great  power.' ' 

The  Bear  was  angry  and  declared  that  she  had  such 
power  that  she  could,  if  she  wished,  prevent  the  sun  from 
rising  in  the  morning. 

The  Chipmunk  said,  "You  cannot." 

"Wait  and  see,"  replied  the  Bear. 

The  Chipmunk  was  not  to  be  fooled.  He  declared  that 
he  would  wait.  ' '  We  shall  have  the  sun  at  the  usual  time, ' ' 
said  he. 

When  the  sun  came  up  the  Chipmunk  laughed  and  made 
fun  of  the  Bear  and  her  boasting,  till  the  Bear  was  so 
terribly  angry  that  she  turned  on  the  Chipmunk.  He 
escaped,  for  his  burrow  was  close  by,  but  as  he  reached 
it  the  Bear  was  so  nearly  upon  him  that  she  stretched  out 
her  paw  to  clutch  him,  but  he  slipped  from  under  it  and 
went  into  the  hole. 

The  next  day  the  Chipmunk  appeared  with  three  marks 
on  his  back,  marks  of  the  Bear's  claws.  And  Chipmunks 
carry  those  marks  to  this  day. 


505 


THE   WREN 


A  BOY  was  once  told  that  he  must  not  shoot  wrens, 
for  the  wren  is  a  strange  bird,  difficult  to  hit  and 
mysterious  in  its  ways.  One  day  he  went  out  to  hunt  when 
the  sun  was  already  beyond  the  middle  of  the  sky.  He 
soon  saw  a  wren  and  although  warned  he  determined  to 
try  his  luck  in  killing  it. 

He  shot  arrow  after  arrow,  but  no  use,  he  could  not  hit 
the  bird.  Sometimes  it  dodged  the  arrows,  sometimes  it 
flew  to  another  tree.    All  his  efforts  were  vain. 

At  last  he  hid  behind  a  bush  and  waited  till  he  had  an 
excellent  aim,  then  he  let  his  arrow  fly.  It  just  grazed  the 
top  of  the  bird's  head,  scratching  the  skin.  The  wren 
flew  away  fluttering.  The  boy  watched  till  it  disappeared 
behind  a  log  at  some  distance  in  the  thicket,  then  he  ran 
forward  quickly. 

As  he  got  near  the  log  he  heard  groans  and  low  cries  of 
pain,  and  looking  over  the  log  he  saw  a  man  lying  on  the 
ground,  apparently  in  great  pain.  His  scalp  was  gone 
and  the  whole  top  of  his  head  was  covered  with  blood. 

The  boy,  terribly  frightened,  ran  home  and  told  what 
had  happened.  People  hurried  back  with  him  to  aid  the 
wounded  man,  but  they  could  find  no  trace  of  him;  the 
wren  had  flown. 

The  wren  is  to  this  day  called  "the  bird  without  a 
scalp. ' ' 

It  had  turned  itself  into  a  man  to  avoid  being  captured 
while  stunned  by  pain. 


506 


THE   TWELVE   STAKS 


TWELVE  children  were  playing  together  on  the  grass 
near  their  fathers'  cabins.  They  thought  they  would 
play  a  new  game,  and  they  invented  one.  They  joined 
hands  in  a  circle  and  danced,  not  swinging  around,  but 
standing  in  one  place.  As  they  danced  they  sang:  "We 
are  dancing.     We  are  dancing." 

Their  parents  were  watching  them  and  listening  to  their 
song,  when  all  at  once  they  noticed  that  their  feet  did  not 
touch  the  ground.  The  parents  were  frightened  and  ran 
out  to  stop  the  dancing,  but  the  children  were  already 
above  their  heads  in  the  air  and  going  higher  and  higher, 
always  singing:  "We  are  dancing.    We  are  dancing." 

They  went  up  and  up  until  they  disappeared,  still  hold- 
ing hands,  and  they  were  next  seen  as  twelve  stars  in  the 
heavens  just  above  their  fathers'  cabins.  One  got  a  little 
out  of  the  circle  and  therefore  appears  a  little  at  one  side 
of  the  others. 


507 


THE  WOMAN  AND  DOG  IN  THE  MOON 


A  WOMAN  is  sitting  in  the  moon  and  she  is  busy 
embroidering  with  porcupine  quills.  Near  her  is  a 
bright  fire,  and  over  the  fire  hangs  a  kettle  with  something 
boiling  in  it.  By  her  side  sits  a  large  dog  that  watches 
her  continually.  Once  in  a  while  she  gets  up,  lays  aside 
her  work  and  stirs  whatever  is  boiling  in  the  kettle.  While 
she  is  doing  this  the  dog  unravels  her  work. 

This  is  going  on  all  the  time.  As  fast  as  the  woman 
embroiders,  the  dog  unravels.  If  she  could  finish  her  work, 
or  if  she  ever  does,  the  end  of  the  world  will  come  that 
instant. 


508 


A  MAN  CONQUERS  STONE  COAT  (ICE  AND 

COLD) 

[Told  by  John  Armstrong] 


Character 
Genodskwa Ice  and  Cold  (Stone  Coat) 


ONCE  there  was  a  village  in  a  clearing  in  the  forest. 
The  people  of  that  village  had  been  told  not  to  go 
North,  for  in  the  North  the  Stone  Coats  (Ice  and  Cold) 
lived,  and  they  were  man-eaters. 

One  of  the  men  said,  "I  am  not  afraid  of  those  Stone 
Coats,  maybe  there  is  good  hunting  in  their  country.  I'm 
going  there.    If  they  trouble  me  I'll  kill  them.', 

Getting  into  their  canoe,  the  man  and  his  wife  rowed 
up  the  river  till  they  came  to  the  country  of  the  Stone 
Coats.  Then  the  man  pulled  the  canoe  on  to  the  bank, 
made  a  fire,  and  went  hunting.  While  he  was  gone,  a  Stone 
Coat  woman  came  to  the  camp.  When  the  man's  wife  saw 
her  she  was  so  frightened  that  she  lost  her  senses.  The 
Stone  Coat  woman  pushed  her  around,  and  said,  ' '  She  must 
have  been  a  long  time  dead." 

The  woman  came  to  her  senses,  ran  to  the  river,  pulled 
the  canoe  to  the  water,  sprang  into  the  canoe  and  rowed 
away.  The  Stone  Coat  followed  her  to  the  bank  of  the 
river,  but  couldn't  go  farther  for  she  had  no  canoe. 

When  the  woman  came  to  where  her  husband  was,  she 
said,  "You  boasted  that  you  could  kill  the  Stone  Coats, 
now  show  what  you  can  do." 

The  man  built  a  fire  and  sharpened  his  flint  knife.  Soon 
a  Stone  Coat  man  came  to  the  opposite  side  of  the  river 

509 


510  SENECA    MYTHS 

and  called  out,  "You  are  the  man  who  boasts  that  you 
can  kill  the  Stone  Coats.  Come  over  and  try  your 
strength.7 ' 

"I'll  not  go  to  you/'  said  the  man,  "You  can  come  to 
me." 

After  a  good  deal  of  talk,  Stone  Coat  started  to  cross 
the  river.  When  water  covered  his  head,  he  walked  under 
the  water. 

The  man  ran  up  the  river  to  where  he  had  seen  a  tree 
in  the  water.  He  crossed  on  the  tree,  ran  along  the  bank 
and,  when  Stone  Coat  came  out  of  the  water,  shouted  to 
him,  "Where  are  you  going?  You  must  have  turned 
around  in  the  river." 

Stone  Coat  started  back  and  while  he  was  under  the 
water,  the  man  crossed  again  on  the  tree,  and  as  Stone 
Coat  came  to  the  bank  he  shouted,  "You  foolish  fellow! 
Don't  you  know  enough  to  cross  the  river?" 

After  the  man  had  fooled  Stone  Coat  a  number  of  times, 
he  thought,  "111  let  him  come.    I  won't  fool  him  again." 

When  Stone  Coat  came  out  of  the  river,  he  looked  at 
the  man,  and  asked,  "What  is  that  in  your  hand?" 

The  man  gave  his  hatchet  to  Stone  Coat,  who  looking  at 
it,  rubbed  the  edge  of  it  with  his  hand  and  without  know- 
ing it,  gave  the  hatchet  such  power  that  it  was  harder  than 
anything  else  in  the  world. 

1 '  Show  me  what  you  can  do  with  this  thing, ' '  said  Stone 
Coat. 

The  man  struck  a  rock.     The  rock  split  open. 

Stone  Coat  was  terribly  frightened.  He  thought  that 
the  power  came  from  the  man.  "This  man,"  said  he  in 
his  mind,  "is  as  strong  as  we  are.    Maybe  he  can  kill  us." 

He  left  the  man,  crossed  the  river  and  went  off.  When 
he  reached  home  and  told  his  people  what  he  had  seen 
they  said,  "We'll  go  away  from  here.  We'll  go  toward 
the  West  and  leave  this  man." 

The  man  and  his  wife  lived,  undisturbed,  in  the  Stone 
Coat  country  till  one  day  a  Stone  Coat  woman  came  to  the 
bark  house  they  had  built,  and  said,  "My  husband  and 
I  quarreled  and  I  ran  away.  After  he  has  looked  every- 
where else  for  me,  he  will  come  here.  I  will  help  you  till 
he  comes,  then  you  must  help  me." 


MAN    CONQUERS    STONE    COAT     511 

The  next  day  when  the  man  started  off  to  hunt,  the 
Stone  Coat  woman  went  with  him,  and  she  brought  him 
good  luck.  Each  day  she  went  with  him  and  each  day  he 
killed  a  great  deal  of  game. 

One  morning  she  said,  "My  husband  will  come  to-day. 
When  we  begin  to  fight,  you  must  put  a  stick  in  the  fire 
and  heat  it  red  hot,  and  as  soon  as  he  overpowers  and 
throws  me,  you  must  run  the  firebrand  into  his  body." 

When  Stone  Coat  came  he  pulled  up  a  tree.  His  wife 
pulled  up  another  tree,  and  they  began  to  fight,  using  the 
trees  as  clubs.  At  last  the  woman  fell.  That  minute  the 
man  ran  the  firebrand  into  Stone  Coat's  body  and  killed 
him. 

When  the  man  and  his  wife  were  ready  to  go  back  to 
their  village,  the  Stone  Coat  woman  said,  "When  the  Stone 
Coats  went  away,  one  of  our  women  left  her  little  boy. 
You  must  take  him  home  with  you.', 

The  man  went  to  the  place  the  Stone  Coat  indicated  and 
found,  on  a  high  cliff,  two  trees,  a  swing  hung  between  the 
trees  and  in  the  swing  sat  a  little  Stone  Coat  boy,  swing- 
ing back  and  forth  and  singing.  The  man  felled  the  trees ; 
the  swing  came  down  and  the  boy  too,  but  the  boy  still 
kept  singing  and  swaying  his  body  as  though  he  were 
swinging. 

The  man  took  the  child  home  and  as  he  grew  up  and 
began  to  play  with  other  boys  he  showed  great  strength. 
If  he  struck  a  boy,  he  killed  him.  Every  child  he  hit,  even 
in  play,  he  killed.  The  people  of  the  village  told  the  man 
that  he  must  send  the  boy  back  to  his  own  people.  The 
man  sent  for  the  Stone  Coat  woman  and  she  took  the  boy 
to  his  mother. 

"The  Stone  Coats  are  Frost,  Ice  and  great  Cold." 


THE  END 


GLOSSARY 

Aweonddgon. — Name  of  a  weed. 

Dddahwdt. — White  beaver. 

Dadyoendzaddses. — He  who  travels  around  the  world  (wolf), 

Dagwahgweoses. — Long  eyebrows. 

Dagwanoenyent  gowa. — Whirlwind,  cyclone. 

Daqsides. — Long  foot  (rabbit). 

Dendenddne. — Caterpillar. 

Deoneyont. — Red  hot. 

DewaqsoHhwus. — Flea. 

Di'di—  Blue  jay. 

Digid'gon  gowa. — Buffalo. 

Di'sdes. — Woodpecker. 

Djeonyaik. — Robin. 

Djiayen. — Spider. 

Djihonsduqgwen. — Ants. 

Djisdda  —  Grasshopper. 

Djisgan. — Spirit,  ghost. 

Djissda. — Fire. 

Djoeaga. — Coon. 

Djonkdjonkwen. — Chickadee. 

D6endzowes. — Split  the  earth  (earthquake). 

Donongdes. — Long  horns  (snake). 

Donyakdane. — He  who  travels  everywhere   (inchworm). 

Donyonda. — Bald  eagle. 

Doseno'daia. — Flying  squirrel. 

Dotgehondagwe. — Half  red-headed  (woodpecker). 

Dowisdowe. — Tip-up  (a  bird). 

Doyadastethe. — Bright  body. 

Dwdaunhdanegen. — Two  feathers  (rabbit). 

Dzainos  gowa. — Blue  lizard,  ancient  of  lizards. 

Dzodjogis. — Blackbirds. 

Dzoega. — Raccoon. 

Dzogeon. — Little  people  (fairies). 

Dzoho'qwais. — Chipmunk. 

Dzothdwendon. — Humming  bird. 

Gadjiqsa. — Husk  false  face. 

Gainsonhe'. — Daddy  long  legs. 

Gaisgen  se. — Ground-bird. 

513 


514  SENECA   MYTHS 

Gandewitha. — Morning  star. 

GaneHtha. — Corn  beetle. 

Ganogeshegea. — Sparrow. 

Gdnyage  gowa. — Diver  (duck). 

Ganydqden  hanowa. — Mud-turtle. 

Ganyo  gowa. — Great  game  (white  deer). 

Ganyuqdjidji. — Yellowbird. 

Gdqga'. — Raven. 

Gdsyondetha. — Lightning  lion   (meteor). 

Geha.— Wind. 

Genddgahddenyatha. — June-bug. 

Genonskwa. — Stone  coat  (ice  and  great  cold). 

Gwiyee. — Phebe  bird. 

Hadaeonis. — Net  maker. 

Hadentheni. — Speaker. 

Hadia'des. — Black-snake. 

Hadiqsadon  genonskwa  ganyudai. — Grave  of  frosts,  or  the  so- 
called  stone  coats. 

Hadjisgwds. — Mush  eater. 

Hadjoqdja. — Skin  man. 

Hdiendonis. — Woodmaker  (a  tree  worm). 

Haienthwus. — Planter. 

Hanenyowa'ne. — Big  bones  (mud  turtle).  A  second  name  for 
Mud-turtle,  see  GanyaqdeD  hanowa. 

Hanigongendatha. — Definer. 

Hdnisheonon. — Muck-worm. 

Hanowa. — Turtle. 

Haqgeeah. — Ragged  or  shabby  man. 

Hatdedases. — Whirlwind  maker. 

Hathondes. — The  listener  (mink). 

Hdweniyo. — Great  Spirit. 

Henes. — Panther. 

Heusdeoon. — Rocks  go  to  the  water. 

Hino'. — Thunder  (personified). 

Hino'hohdwank. — Thunder's  son. 

Hodionskon. — Trickster. 

Hongdk.— Wild  (Canada)  goose. 

Hoqua. — The  cry  of  frogs. 

Hotho. — Cold  weather,  winter. 

Vonwe. — Wild  duck. 

Ne  vonoes. — That  is  what  we  like. 

Nohnoh8ot. — Heron. 

Nondza'qgwe. — Woodcock. 

Nongwatgwa. — Fox. 

Nosgwais. — Toad. 


GLOSSARY  515 

Nyagwaihe  gowa. — Ancient  of  bears. 

Odjie'da. — Crawfish. 

Odzi'neowa. — Wasp. 

Ogenhwan. — Gnat. 

Okteondo71.  —Roots,  rooted  ones. 

Oneqsas. — Mushroom  eater  (a  bird). 

Oneo. — Corn. 

Ongwe. — Man,  Indian. 

Ongweias. — Man  eater. 

Onhdagwija. — Good  ear. 

OnoqgoH  gowa. — Bumble  bee. 

O'nowehda. — Angleworm. 

Onwenaunt. — Blue  snake. 

Onwi. — Winged  snake. 

0*6wa. — Horned  owl. 

Oshada. — Dusty  vapor. 

Oshonyuqda. — Corn-worm. 

O  tg  oe. — Wamp  urn. 

Otgon. — Poison. 

Otgondahen. — Red  bellied  (snake). 

Othagwenda. — Flint. 

O  thagwendonis . — F  lintmaker . 

Othaioni  hoydda. — Wolf-marked. 

Othwensawenhde. — Small  liver  beside  the  large  one. 

O  tsoon. — Turkey. 

Oweeyegonhdji. — Old  woman  swan. 

Pletho. — Thunder  (the  sound),  a  Delaware  word. 

Plethoak. — Thunders,  a  Delaware  word. 

Popkpeknos. — Quail,  a  Delaware  word. 

Poyeshaon. — Orphan,  a  Delaware  word. 

Sadzawiski. — Thousand  legs. 

Sehdonhgwade. — Wood-tick. 

Sganonhses  gowa. — One  of  the  Thunder  family. 

Shagodidqdane. — The  woman  in  the  South. 

Shagodyoweg  gowa. — Great  One  who  protects  us;  fals»H  face, 

god  of  the  air. 
Shagonoges. — He  torments  them. 
Shagowenotha. — The  punisher. 
Shag 6y ado gedas. — He  drives  them  away. 
Shagoyagentha. — He  hides  them. 
Sigweont. — Rattlesnake. 
Skada'gea. — In  the  mist  (a  bird). 
Skagedi. — Half  (of  anything). 
Swengedaigea. — Hawk,  hen  hawk. 
Teqdoonhuishe. — Woodchuck  leggings,  the  deceiver. 


516  SENECA   MYTHS 

Thagonhsowes. — He  splits  his  face. 
TotuLayent. — White  rabbit. 
Tsodiqgwadon. — Snake. 
Wadyonyondyes. — Wild  duck  people. 
Wdyo».— Rabbit. 
Wia'd. — Call  of  phebe  bird. 
Yenogeaun. — Ear  enter  (barkworm). 
Yeonogaa. — Shingled  hair. 
Yeqsinye. — Spinner  , 
Yontqnwisas. — Name  of  a  song. 


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